It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes
by cas.92
Summary: Two survivors get separated from their group. What happens when they meet up with the Left 4 Dead 2 cast? EllisxOC and NickxOC
1. The Parting

**AN**: New story based on the video game Left 4 Dead 2. It's co-written by me and Sophdeloaf (look her up, she's got a bunch of cool stuff up). She wrote the first chapter and every other one.

Disclaimer

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

Unfortunately Ellis and Nick are too.

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -1- The Parting

* * *

The group of six lay sprawled around the safe room; none of them speaking, none of them looking at each other. It had been nearly a day since the group found a safe place, and all were drained both physically and mentally. Four girls and two boys sat stunned, unbelieving of their luck.

Until a week ago, zombies were a thing of video games. A few days ago, that's exactly what the six had been doing. Now, it was what they were still doing.

Only real.

* * *

The blonde groaned from her spot near the door, rolling over onto her side. "I'd say let's never do that again, but we've got no choice I'm afraid."

Another girl with red hair and red splattered on her face let out a noise of protest before throwing her arms in the air, earning a chuckle from the long haired boy. The small girl beside him grinned but rolled her eyes all the same. The other boy, looking worse for wear, seemed to already be passed out on one of the moldy couches in the dimly lit room. The last girl was already shuffling around, searching for supplies—no doubt the health packs which they all desperately needed.

Sighing, the blonde shakily stood and went over to her friend to help. "Hey Cas, when you find the health kits, throw a few over here. I'll get Andrew healed up while he's knocked out."

The girl with the black hair nodded before ripping open a box. She smiled, grabbing a few and throwing them over to the other girl before distributing to the rest of them.

"Brandon," the small girl addressed. The boy with the long hair looked over, "find food." So of course he obeyed and stood to search. The rest of the conscious group sniggered at the couple; not even a zombie apocalypse could change their relationship.

With Chelsea's command, the rest assumed their given tasks. Cas continued to rip open boxes in search for useful items, Brandon looked for food, Chelsea sorted and distributed ammo. Normally Andrew would take to sharpening the knives (if so called for), but the redhead, Lillian, took on his job while he was resting. The blonde, Sophie, dutifully took apart and cleaned the guns.

"I know I always said a zombie apocalypse would be exciting, but I thought it might only last a few days," grumbled Lillian.

"It's only been a few days," Chelsea retorted.

"A few more days than I would have liked," came the muffled voice from the couch.

Everyone turned to the boy on the couch. "You okay, Andrew?" Cas asked.

"Just need some rest," he confirmed. They resumed.

* * *

When all needs were met, sleep was next on the list. They could all get going again at first light…just so long as they made it through the night.

"I'll take first watch," said Sophie, "it's not like I'll get any sleep anyway."

All of her friends chose couches or sleeping bags or corners to curl into, knowing with Sophie on watch, nothing should bother them. Sophie was a short girl, with short blonde hair, and a short temper. She was one of the two in the group who had really been prepared for the apocalypse. Of course, when it first started she could hardly believe it—her crazy whims had come in handy after all. In the group of six, she could qualify as the person who was slightly (if not completely) off their rocker. She didn't care really; in her mind it did her well.

* * *

The other five woke up some time later to find their short friend painting a small landscape on one wall with what seemed like…blood. Upon further inspection, Cas noticed a still zombie sprawled at her feet.

"Figures," she said.

Cas, though not one of the two fully prepared for the event, was the most likely to survive this whole ordeal. She was strong, smart, and a fast learner. After listening to a small tutorial on how to survive the apocalypse (according to Sophie and Lillian) and an learn-on-the-run lesson on how to shoot a gun, she was for the most part, good to go. Her coloured two front strips of hair shook from side to side as she shook her head. She should have expected it from Sophie.

Letting out a little chuckle she picked up her Desert Eagle, strapped on a health pack and an axe and waited patiently for everyone else to follow suit. As she waited, she looked down at herself—at least she had worn something comfy. A cotton, long sleeved red shirt, a pair of jeans, and sneakers; simple and colour appropriate. The only person who wasn't wearing something comfortable, she noted, was Sophie, who was dressed in a black blouse, a white skirt (or, at least, it used to be), and flimsy sandals.

Still, she was always the first one to leave the safe room.

* * *

After a few hours their lively run turned more into a…laboured trot. At this time the group decided it was best to take a short break in what was supposed to be a medical tent. Needless to say, there were a few very ill zombies inside.

"Plaid shirt mother fuckers," Lillian spat. Over the past few hours she had developed a growing hatred for plaid shirts. None of them could blame her.

After the fevered comment, the six lapsed into silence, hoping to not attract any unwanted attention. Chelsea stayed near the door with a sniper rifle at the ready, and already the rest could say she had saved them a few times.

* * *

How had they ended up in Savannah anyway? Sophie pondered this question, chewing on her bottom lip. They had been visiting Lillian's relatives because, according to her, they were involved in mafia business. They never got to find out if she had mafia blood in her—the zombies got there first. They shouldn't even be in Savannah! A deep scowl set itself onto her face. They were supposed to drive right through and get back to Canada, or at least closer to the border. All of her survival things were at home, the rest of her survival "team" was at home, and she hated all of this sunlight. Being a pale girl by nature, being trapped in the light for so long produced a red burn across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. She looked constantly flustered.

Mind you, her friends hadn't been faring so well either. Lillian was completely pink, and Andrew looked as though he might suffer from heat stroke at any given moment.

"Uh, guys," all looked over to Chelsea, who was now standing and ready. "They're coming!"

Whispered curses were flung around the group as they all sprang to attention and grabbed their weapons. A large group of zombies hurtled towards them; among them was a tank.

"Shoot the tank!" screamed Lillian, already holding down the trigger of her gun. All six aimed and squeezed their triggers, and still the tank charged closer. A fine sweat collected on everyone's foreheads until their nerves broke.

"Just run!" shouted Andrew. The group abandoned post and took off sprinting opposite the direction they came. It was too late. The tank was too close. Before he even had time to cry out in surprise, Andrew was thrown half way down the street in the other direction and the tank immediately followed his airborne frame.

Lillian took off running toward the tank. "I'm coming buddy!" she cried.

"Wh-what? Lillian!" exclaimed Chelsea before running off after her.

Brandon didn't miss a beat, running off after her "Chelsea!"

"Guys!" Cas called, unable to follow due to the swarm.

"Shit," muttered Sophie, helping Cas out with the slowly diminishing number of zombies.

The two girls were breathing heavily when the last zombie was taken out. Taking in their new surroundings, it was quickly noticed that they had traveled some distance from where they has started with the tank. In fact, they couldn't even hear the sounds of a tank struggle anymore.

Sharing a look, the two turned around, only to be faced with a sea of cars.

Cas looked over at Sophie again, who was now sporting a scowl that could set the cars aflame had the cars understood her look. She whistled lowly before stating what both of them were thinking.

"Well, damn."


	2. Spill Your Guts

Disclaimer

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

Unfortunately Ellis and Nick are too.

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -2- Spill Your Guts

* * *

"Eighty-three..." Cas mumbled.

For the past hour or so, the pair had been waking down the deserted highway, looking for their separated team mates. Whether or not they were headed in the right direction was debatable. With that being the case, Cas chose to count cars. It was the only thing that came to mind.

"_Must_ you continue?" Sophie questioned in exasperation.

Cas grimaced slightly, "you know how I get when I'm bored."

A groan escaped the blondes lips, "It's a zombie apocalypse. How could you possibly be bored?"

The other just shrugged indifferently as she stepped carefully over a torn zombie. Possibility questions were now void in her mind; if zombies were real, then anything could happen. Out of the six, Cas had thought she was the strongest believer of the apocalypse. Just weeks before she had been discussing the chances of the 2012 disaster and the chances it would involve zombies. Little did she know, it would come sooner than later.

"So what's the plan?"

Sophie stopped momentarily to ponder on the thought. There weren't many options at the moment and if they didn't find their companions soon enough, they were in trouble.

"I guess we just stick to the road. See what we find," she responded thoughtfully.

Cas nodded her response. She wasn't much of a leader, so she depended on others to make the calls. With the right people around her, it made life a hell of a lot easier.

Now with a 'plan', the two continued their hike, picking off zombies along the way. The only thing Sophie could now be grateful for was that her companion had stopped her annoying counting. Her content didn't last long though. Feeling her boredom kick back in, Cas decided to climb on one of the cars, intending to use the sea of vehicles as her sidewalk. Before even getting onto the roof, Sophie flung her hand at Cas, stopping her instantly.

"What if one of them has an alarm, hmm?" Cas rubbed her arm slowly, only giving her friend a small mumbled retort; something along the lines of _party pooper_. This sort of interaction wasn't new between the two. Cas knew she would get a reaction, and that's why she did what she did. Even though Sophie was the more_ imaginative_ of the two, she could become serious and take the lead within the blink of an eye. That's why the group had chosen her to direct them. Cas, on the other hand, was the more childish of the group. Given a dull moment, she always tried to entertain herself and others with sarcasm or a witty remark. Needless to say, she also had a serious side to her as well. In the case of a zombie apocalypse, she was one of the people to turn to. She had always been a fast learner and her knowledge of zombies was extensive. The strategy she kept was fairly simple; keep your distance, save ammo, and don't get hit. The only flaw on her part (according to Sophie) was the use of fire. Given the chance, Cas would light the zombies on fire without a second thought. Although it's been said it wasn't a good idea, she had yet to test out the theory.

"Wait up; I think I hear a hunter..." Sophie warned quietly.

Cas immediately froze, her eyes scanning the area for any movement. From previous experiences, the girls had learned that hunters and other special infected were not to be taken lightly. Each one posed their own threat, most leading to death. For the time being, if they stayed together, a hunter wasn't that big of a problem.

"Found it..." Cas whispered back, "I'll try to get a shot on it."

The teen crept forward, making sure to stay low to the ground. Once she had a clear line of fire she lifted her Desert Eagle, hoping her aim had improved. All too soon, the hunters head snapped towards her. Cas only had enough time to fire off one bullet before the infected lunged at her. The wind was instantly knocked out of her as the hunter hit its mark, throwing her onto the hood of a car. It only took a second for the creature to throw its clawed hand at the helpless girl, ripping her side instantly.

Within a second of the mishap, Sophie had sprung into action. She quickly grabbed onto the axe that had been dropped by her companion and swung at the hooded creature with a fierce battle cry. Cas quickly shoved the limp body to the side with a groan, letting her hand trail down to the gash in her side.

"Shit..." She muttered through gritted teeth.

After a quick intake of air, she glanced up at Sophie, noticing the panicked, yet determined look on her face. Cas had thought her friend would have already been at her side patching her up, but the look on her face led her to believe that something was wrong—as if the ringing in her head wasn't from the injury.

"Fuuuuckk offfff!" She hissed angrily as realization sunk in.

It was just their luck that the car she had landed on was rigged with an alarm. A loud alarm.

Sophie kept her attention on the quickly approaching horde. If she was going to defend herself and her injured friend, she was going to have to concentrate. She was ready to take on the horde herself, but Cas hadn't said anything about throwing in the towel. If she was going down, she'd go out with a bang.

Within seconds, the zombies had arrived at their door step, and they brought friends. Keeping Cas' axe, Sophie started ploughing through the crowd, taking out the zombies one by one. She was doing a decent job too; the blood surrounding her proved it. At the same time, Cas was doing the best she could from where she was leaning. Her Desert Eagle only had so much ammo before she was firing blanks. Seven zombies had taken shots to the heads, but unfortunately it wasn't enough to keep the rest back. Now the Deagle had become a hammer of sorts, allowing her to keep zombies at bay while Sophie cleared the infected in front of her.

It didn't take long for the horde to wither down to two or three. As soon as the last one was taken down, Sophie rushed to Cas' side, immediately removing her hand from the injury. After a quick glance, she reached for her health pack, but when she turned back her friend wasn't there.

"Cas...?"

The only response she received was gagging off to her side. It wasn't a peasant thought but if it was going to make the nausea go away then it was worth it. Before this, Cas had never had a serious injury and now that the adrenaline from the horde had passed, she was feeling the full effects of the gash.

"We need to get you patched up. Now." Sophie informed.

Her friend nodded weakly in response, then wiped her mouth with a sleeve. With minimal effort, Sophie was able to lead Cas over to one of the cars, making sure it was unlocked. Cautiously, she helped her friend lie down across the backseats.

"Hey Doc, do I get a lollipop?" Cas asked.

Her friend's serious look didn't waver at her attempt to lighten the mood.

"If you live, I'll buy you a bunch of them," she answered morbidly.

Cas chuckled slightly, but it was cut short as she winced from the movement. For the next half hour, Sophie spent her time on Cas' injury. It had taken quite a bit of time to stop the bleeding from the large wound, then she had to clean it and wrap it the best she could with what she had. Luckily, when it came to medical care, Sophie knew what she was doing. That also meant that she knew that the injury needed stitches. Badly. Until then, the injury could easily reopen and cause even more problems.

By the time Sophie was done, Cas had passed out, so Sophie had no choice but to stay on look out. Before settling into the car, she wandered back to where they had been attacked. Cas' Deagle lay just a few feet away from the deceased hunter. She quickly picked up the weapon and started heading back to the car, when something caught her eye. On closer inspection, she discovered that it was a CEDA canister.

"'Boomer' excretion," she read quietly.

She wasn't exactly sure on what a 'boomer' was, but the word excretion didn't make it seem so pleasant. For the time being, she decided to keep the intriguing object. If it was from the men at CEDA, then there was bound to be some use for it.

Seeing as there was nothing else of use in the area, she headed back for the car, but faint voices caught her attention.

"Sorry guys, guess this wasn't such a hot idea after all."

Quietly, Sophie inched closer to the voices, holding Cas' empty Deagle as a safety precaution. There was no telling if these people would attack her for her belongings and she doubted they would do anything with a seemingly threatening gun in their face.

"Don't sweat it Ellis. At least you got us out of that mall," a second voice answered.

By now, the voices had gotten noticeably closer and she could see them from a few vehicles away. There were four of them; three males and a female. It didn't seem like they had started off together; instead they had probably joined up along the way. If that were the case, then the chances of them attacking were less likely. Assuming that, Sophie moved in closer, aiming the gun up at the group.

"Don't move or I'll shoot," she warned.

The man with a trucker hat instantly raised his hands above his head, receiving a snicker from the man beside him. Sophie's gun was immediately drawn towards him.

"Are you really going to shoot a guy in a $3,000 suit?" he questioned nonchalantly.

Sophie raised an eyebrow in his direction. After a comment like that, she doubted they were bad people.

* * *

**Foot Note**: Feedback people? I know your out there :P


	3. Sweet Stitches

**Author's Note**: My partner in crime sent me a bunch of chapter titles in an offline msn msg... but unfortunately my msn won't let me sign in and she's at her cottage so this chapter wont have a title for now, sorry... x.x

Disclaimer

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve

Unfortunately Ellis and Nick are too.

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -3- Sweet Stitches

* * *

"I might just shoot a guy wearing a $3,000 suit," Sophie said. None the less, she lowered the empty gun. Her knees were shaking violently from being out there alone. They were shaking because her friend had almost died. They were shaking from the relief of finding _other people. _Letting out the deep breath she had been holding she properly addressed the four. "Holy shit, who are you lot?"

The one addressed as Ellis grinned and walked towards her. "Folks call me Eills," he said, stopping a few feet away before sticking out his hand, "I guess that's what yew c'n call me too."

Sophie stared at the offered hand before looking back at the boys huge grin. In a fit of joy she grinned back and threw her arms around him in a quick hug before hastily letting go. She let out a giddy laugh before looking at the others, who all seemed to be mostly unalarmed by the friendly display.

"And the rest of you?"

The large black man nodded to her, "Coach."

The man in the white suit gave her a once over before saying, "I'm Nicholas…Nick."

The girl smiled and walked up beside Ellis. "Name's Rochelle, you?"

Sophie pulled Rochelle into a short hug before stepping back. "Sophia Michelle, at your service. You lot can call me Sophie though…or dumb bitch. Whatever suits you."

Rochelle looked taken aback and Nick chucked. They, he decided, were going to get along very well. Coach put a hand on her shoulder.

"Are you all alone, Sophie?"

She paled a moment, remembering her resting (and very defenseless) friend.

"NO! Damnit all! Uhhhhhhmmmmmmm, come with me!"

She took off running in the direction she came from at a fast paced sprint. Damn her distracted mind if her friend was being attacked by zombies through broken windows! She found the car and flung the door open, only to find her friend still passed out and completely unharmed.

Letting out a deep sigh she shut the door quietly and leaned on it. She turned to face the others, who were just catching up.

"Woah there! Is everything okay?" asked Rochelle once she finally caught up.

Sophie raised a finger to her lips in a gesture of quiet while catching her breath. She walked over to another car and sat on the hood.

"It's fine," she said in a hushed voice, "uh, to answer your previous question: no, I'm not alone. My friend and I were actually recently separated from our other friends. There used to be six of us."

Coach looked at the car Cas slept in, as though questioning her presence.

"She's just been injured," she clarified. "A, uh, well, we call them hunters—one of them just pounced on her. It tore into her side before I could react. She bled out a lot and I had to stitch her up. She's resting now." She paused for a moment, before adding as an afterthought, "I don't suppose any of you have any lollipops?"

The all looked at one another except for Ellis, who raised a guilty hand into the air with an equally guilty grin. Nick shot him a look.

"And pray tell, Ellis, where did you get a lollipop?"

"I found it while we were getting that man some cola! I thought I might have it later," he said before his eyes drifted back to Sophie, "but if the lady wants it, then I suppose I could give it to her."

Sophie smiled at the sweetness of the boy. He may not have seemed very bright (hell, he probably wasn't), but his heart was in the right place.

"It's for Cas, actually," she said, gesturing to the car. "I promised her a lollipop if she survived. She'll love you forever. I promise."

In truth, Sophie wasn't lying. At all. This boy was exactly Cas' taste in men. He was a cute kid, not very bright, and admittedly not hard on the eyes. Sophie had no doubt in the world that Cas would swoon over his lean, muscular body (Sophie herself, couldn't help but look), his cheeky grin, and his gift of sugar.

"Cool! When do we get t' meet 'er?" asked the hick enthusiastically.

Sophie shrugged her shoulders, "whenever she wakes up." Then, with some hesitation, she glanced over the group. "I suppose this means we're teaming up?"

Rochelle was at her side in seconds. "Honey, we couldn't leave you. Especially not alone with an injured friend! What kind of people would that make us?"

"No _way _we're leaving you two here," Coach piped in. "Besides, we need all the help we can get."

"That's right," confirmed Ellis.

Nick took a few seconds to answer, giving her another once over before saying, "Yeah, it'd be nice to have an intelligent conversation once in a while."

Caught by surprise, Sophie started giggling before catching the glares they shot at Nick. She quickly covered it up with a cough. About to open her mouth in Nicks defense, she hard faintly from the car, "Sophie? Did you find everyone?"

"Cas," she whispered, jumping off the hood of the car and moving Coach out of the way. She opened the door and sat at the edge of the seat. "Hey. Feeling better?"

Cas squinted at her friend. "Better than I did when you were stitching me. I heard voices, did you find everyone?"

Sophie frowned, "no. But I've found other people. Actually," Sophie gestured at Ellis to move closer, "I've got a gift for you."

Ellis shyly peered into the car. "Hello ma'am. My name is Ellis."

Cas looked confused as she gazed back and forth between the two. "You got me a man while I was passed out? Holy shit, it's Christmas!"

Ellis flushed as Sophie grinned and face palmed. "Well, that too I guess. Ellis," she said, not looking at him in fear of laughter, "give her the lollipop."

Cas' face lit up and she turned to him expectantly. He reached into his pocket and produced perhaps the largest red lollipop that Cas had ever seen.

She was beginning to like this guy.

"Well turn me 'round and slap my behind, Doc. You actually got me a lollipop!"

She graciously took the candy from the offering hand before skillfully unwrapping it and popping it into her maw. The blonde shook her head before gesturing for the rest of the group to come into view.

"Guys, this is Cas. Cas, this is Nick, Rochelle, and Coach. We're gonna be traveling with them for now."

A look was shared between the two. In the midst of the happy occurrences, one happy event didn't happen. There was neither sight nor sound from their lost friends, and by the looks of things, there wouldn't be. Still, they shook the feeling off and took their little blessing for what it was. It was, after all, highly unlikely that they would come across a group of people such as this in a time such as this. They were lucky, and they would do well to remember it.

Sophie opened the front door and crawled in-between the two front seats. "Come on, let's see the wound."

Cas grunted before sitting up slightly. The four looked on in fascination to see two things. They needed to know how badly this girl had been hurt, and they needed to know how well the other one had cared for it. Sophie gently unwrapped the bandages, wiping away the blood that had dried to her belly with a little water.

It was the first time anyone had seen the offending gash besides Sophie. After she wiped the blood away, it wasn't as gruesome as Cas thought it would be. The stitches were even and straight, if not a little macabre. They pinched the skin together just right if she kept a natural posture.

She whistled lowly, "Well, hey Doc! Looks like I didn't even have to go to a hospital for my first major wound!" Her eyes twinkled at the thought, then shot over to her friend with amusement. "But I guess you would have had tons of practice."

The girl rolled her eyes; cleaning off the rest of the blood and bandaging it back up. "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Seeing as you're not dead, you wanna try walking?"

She grimaced while shifting. If Sophie thought it was okay, then it should be fine. If only she could just get out of the damned car.

"Uh, wanna help?" she asked.

"I'll help!" Ellis jumped in and carefully pulled her out.

_Oh yeah,_ Sophie thought, _they're definitely getting together. _She smirked as she witnessed both of them blush slightly at the contact. Once out of the car though, Cas stretched gingerly and took a few steps.

It didn't hurt that bad. In fact, it was already healing! With a grin of her own she looked back to the rest of the waiting observers.

"Well," she said, "where are we headed?"

* * *

**Foot Note**: Special thanks to IDoNotSpeakSportsCar for the review!


	4. To the Fair

**Author's Note**: Thanks again to our solo reviewer. Your opinion means a lot ^^

Disclaimer

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve

Unfortunately Ellis and Nick are too.

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -4- To the Fair

* * *

"We're headed to the Whispering Oaks Amusement Park, Young'n," the man referred to as Coach replied.

Cas nodded, her eyes lingering on the hefty man. She couldn't help but notice how much he reminded her of Uncle Phil from a show she used to watch. It was a pretty amusing thought.

"Can you handle the walk, Sweetie?" Rochelle questioned.

There was no doubt in Cas' mind that she wouldn't be able to walk, but at the same time, she was worried about reopening the wound. Before giving a definite answer, she glanced at Sophie, receiving a reassuring nod. If she was feeling up to it, she had the 'ok'.

"I've had worse," Cas informed. She caught a glance at her friend's raised eyebrow and cleared her throat. "Well, not really, but I'm good to go."

The group exchanged doubtful glances. It wasn't everyday that someone walks away from a hunter attack after a few hours. On the other hand, if they didn't keep moving, they wouldn't be able to make it to their destination by nightfall.

"Alright, but if you need a hand, Nick and I are available," Coach agreed.

Nick didn't seem to want to take part in Coach's offer. His grunting protest made the group sure of it.

"Overalls, you do it. The two of you get along well."

Cas felt her cheeks flush. She had been hoping that no one would notice her quick attraction to the new survivor and if Nick had noticed, then the others must have as well.

"I'll do it," Ellis replied with a nervous grin. "As long as she don't mind."

All eyes were on the young girl, waiting for a response. Her immediate reaction was to pop the candy back into her mouth and nod sheepishly.

"That settles it. Let's get a move on people," Coach instructed. It was quite evident why he was referred to as Coach.

With everything settled, the group continued on their way, each exchanging pre-apocalypse stories. Ellis had been particularly eager to share his stories first. Before the apocalypse, he had been your average kid looking for a good time. He spent most of his time working at the local garage and hanging out with his buddies (he mentioned a friend named Keith on several occasions). All in all, the two girls had come to the conclusion that Ellis saw this apocalypse as one big game.

"I don't think they need a complete rundown of your entire life, Ellis," Nick commented snidely.

A panicked look washed over the kids face.

"I'm sorry. I did'n mean to bore yew." His apology was more or less directed towards Cas, who quickly gave him a reassuring gesture.

"It's not boring, don't worry," she informed, hoping he'd relax.

A relieved sigh escaped his lips, showing that her efforts had not been in vain.

"So Nick, what were you doing before shit hit the fan?" Sophie questioned curiously.

The man just shrugged indifferently. "Nothing worth telling."

"What 'bout yew bein' a conman an' all that?" Ellis asked innocently.

Nick shot Ellis a quick side glance. Even Cas knew that wasn't the best thing to have someone know you by. Sophie had a different reaction though.

"Awwwesommmme!"

The survivors, with the exception of Cas, turned towards the blonde with cautious looks.

"To put it bluntly... she's crazy," Cas informed with a chuckle.

The others didn't find her statement as humorous, but they accepted it anyways. They had already seen her survival side, and they found they needed it more than they worried about her sanity.

After a bit of persistence, Sophie had gotten Nick to tell them that before the green flu hit, he had been drifting from city to city and had come to Savannah, only to find it about to be engulfed by infection. Any other questions, he would just shrug off or ignore. It was safe to say he was a private person.

"Rochelle, Coach? What about you guys?" Cas asked.

"I'm an associate producer for a news station," Rochelle answered. "I was going to do a segment on the evacuation center, but then the infection broke out."

"Well, you'll have one hell of a story when we make it outta here," the teen consoled with a grin.

Rochelle gave a nod and matched her smile.

"I'm sure you can guess what Coach was doing before all the zombies," Rochelle added playfully.

Even his name gave it away. Before the infection, Coach had been a high school health teacher and coordinator for the freshman football team. It made perfect sense, seeing as he was the one leading the pack.

* * *

Another hour passed by like the last. Everyone had been getting along fairly well and were in seemingly good shape. Seeing as they were making progress, Cas chose not to mention the burning sensation in her side. All she had to do was walk a bit further and she could rest for the night. No big deal.

"Hey, yew okay? Yew don't look so good," Ellis asked worriedly.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Cas replied quickly. "Just a little tired, that's all."

He took a second to gather his thoughts, then quickened his pace and stepped in front of the teen.

"Here, I can carry yew 'till we get to a safe room," he informed as he crouched onto a knee.

Cas stopped behind him, her pale cheeks flushing. The four at the front had realized the two had stopped and where now waiting for them. Cas didn't budge.

"Just let him carry you already," Sophie insisted. "If you rip those stitches, I'll take your lollipop back."

After the first bit of walking, Cas had put her candy back in the wrapper to save it for later. Now it was just blackmail material.

With no choice, she inched forward and leaned against the hicks back, allowing him to lift her off the ground. At first, she attempted to keep away from his well sculpted back, but she soon discovered that it was more comfortable to lean against him. She hoped it wasn't as nerve racking for him as it was for her... or maybe it was better if it was.

Soon enough, the bright lights of the amusement park could be seen clearly.

"Aww man, Whispering Oaks. I used to come here as a kid," Coach informed eagerly.

"Oh good, now we can die here as adults," Nick retorted.

Sophie immediately fell into a fit of giggles. It was a rather odd thing to find so amusing, but at the same time, it was Sophie. Cas was soon to follow in with a bit of a chuckle. She fully expected Sophies odd sense of humor, but the confused look on the others' faces was priceless.

"As I said earlier... she's crazy," Cas excused.

"My buddy Keith knew a crazy guy once," Ellis started. "He said he went out to-"

"Ellis, Sweetie? Can this wait?" Rochelle interrupted.

"Okay."

Oddly, he didn't sound fazed by Rochelle's interruptions. He had been cut off like that on several occasions.

"Hey Ellis," Cas asked quietly. "Who's Keith?"

The boy's body tensed as the words escaped her mouth. It wasn't so much what she asked that did it, but how close she was when she asked it. He could feel her warm breath on his ear.

"He's my best buddy," he answered quickly. "Known 'im since we were 'lil."

"You're lucky you were able to keep a friend for that long," Cas mumbled.

Her thoughts were instantly brought to her lost friends. All of them had meant so much to her. It pained her to think about it. Hopefully they were okay.

"Alright everyone! There's a safe room just up ahead!" Coach called out excitedly.

"Last one in has first watch!" Sophie added challengingly.

She had been the first one in after sprinting down the now clear road, soon followed by Coach, Rochelle, and Nick. Seeing as Ellis had extra weight to carry, he was the last in with Cas. The big red door was promptly closed behind them by Coach. Finally they had a safe place to rest.

* * *

**Foot Note**: Come on people, show us that you care :P


	5. The Real Fun

**Author's Note**: Thanks for the reviews people ^^ Mucho appreciated.

Disclaimer

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve

Unfortunately Ellis and Nick are too.

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -5- The Real Fun

* * *

The six congratulated each other, quickly getting comfortable—in the case of Ellis, getting ready for watch.

Cas came up behind him and lightly touched his shoulder, already blushing at her suggestion. "If you want, I could take watch with you. It was me who slowed you down."

"No, no darlin'. You get some rest an' go get yo'self checked out by the doc. You did good out there." He smiled at her. He wasn't sure if she was as aware of how close they were on the last leg of their journey, but he knew that he was. He also knew that he didn't mind. No sir, not at all.

She smiled and nodded before staggering over to Sophie, who had already set out a sleeping bag and was opening a first aid kit. The girl in question raised her eyes to meet her as she sat down. Immediately she began unwrapping the bandages, looking around to make sure everyone else was distracted.

"So," the blonde began, "I take it you enjoyed the ride?"

A cheesy grin broke out onto her face as Cas blanched. Unable to stop herself, Sophie let out a quiet giggle while washing the wound.

"It's okay, Cas. Only _everyone's_ noticed by now."

She began to stutter out a retort before her friend silenced her.

"Don't worry, woman. No one will say anything…directly. You have nothing to worry about. In fact," her eyes rose to meet the other girls', "I think he might just like yea back."

The comment shut her up efficiently, and by the time she surfaced from her thoughts, the patch job was already finished.

"You really think so?" she asked thoughtfully.

Sophie shook her head, "I'm pretty damned sure. Now get some sleep or your lollipop is in jeopardy. I'll take it; don't test me."

Cas lay down on the rolled out mat, smiling contentedly to herself. Stealing one last glance at the boy by the door, she lay her head down and shut her eyes.

Sophie had made it over to Rochelle who was having a hard time with a gash on her arm.

"Here, let me help," she said, sitting down in front of her.

Rochelle smiled, "thanks."

"No problem. It's already stopped bleeding and it won't need stitches if you keep it wrapped up." She looked up at the girl, disapprovingly. "But you should have cleaned it before trying to wrap it."

Rochelle looked down. She should have known that. "Heh, you're right. Normally it's me asking to help everyone else. Where'd you learn all this medical stuff anyway?"

From the corner of her eye, Rochelle noticed Nick shift closer to listen in. He would never admit it out loud, but he was just as curious as everyone else in the group.

"My mom was a doctor. I learned a lot from her." She paused, momentarily, "and, you know, I've needed to take care of myself all these years."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know—"

"Oh! No!" Sophie cut her off. "It's nothing like _that. _I'm just the clumsiest person you've ever meet is all!"

Rochelle looked at her skeptically. "Clumsy enough to learn how to stitch a cut that big?" she asked, gesturing to the sleeping girl.

Sophie finished wrapping her arm and held out her pinky. "See the silver line on my finger here?"

Rochelle nodded.

"I cut my finger off accidentally once; not fully, but it went through the bone. Needless to say, I was a little embarrassed and no one was home. I sewed it back on myself and look," she flexed the appendage, "almost fully functional."

A sputtering cough caught their attention. The girls turned to face Nick, who was choking back a laugh. "You were _embarrassed,_" he clarified, "so you did it _yourself?_"

And as though it were the most normal thing in the world, Sophie nodded. Coach shook his head from his corner of the room. The girl hadn't been joking when she said her friend was crazy.

"Well," she said, a little flustered, "so what? I wasn't going to go to the hospital and tell the nurses that I cut my finger off because I _laughed while doing arts and crafts. _It doesn't matter _where _or _how _I learned to do certain things, only that I know how to do them." Indignantly, she stood from her spot and strode over to Coach, who was tending to a sore ankle. "I'm helping you folk out, and that's all that matters."

Pronouncing Coaches ankle intact and giving it a quick rub she looked over at Nick.

"Who about you, Mr. $3,000 suit? Anything hurt?"

Giving Coaches ankle a quick look, and noting how happy he looked during the massage, he decided to use his powers of persuasion to get a little reward out of this. He rolled his shoulders and openly (dramatically) winced at the movement.

"I think I may have done something to my back," he said finally.

Now, Sophie wasn't a fool. Still, there was something about this man that she really wanted to know. And perhaps, she admitted to herself, she may have been smitten with him…a little bit.

She sighed, "Well then, take your shirt off."

Rochelle burst out laughing at the shocked look on Nicks face. Oh yeah, the girl knew what game Nick was playing, and she knew just how to play back.

Still with a straight face, she looked at him expectantly. "Well, go on."

He shot her an I'm-on-to-you look before removing his jacket. Rochelle shook her head and looked away. Coach was already half asleep and Ellis was busy with a few zombies. Hesitantly, he reached for the buttons on the blue shirt and picked them off one by one. Sliding it off his shoulders, he refused to look in the younger girls direction.

Sophie took a moment to take in his well sculpted back. _Holy shit, _she thought to herself, _keep it in your pants. _Biting her bottom lip, she kneeled down behind him and placed her hands on either shoulder. He shuddered from her cold fingers, slowly melting into the skilled movements. She shook her head, continuing to rub out the kinks and tension from his shoulders and middle back. She'd given a lot of massages before, but none to such an _attractive _man.

She scowled at the thought. He had to be at least twenty years older than her, and therefore, unattainable. She cursed her luck, remembering the _last _guy she was into had been thirteen years older than she was. Cas would laugh when she told her.

Waking up at an early hour, Cas rolled over and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. The only one who was awake was Ellis. Standing carefully, she padded over to him. He watched her rise and walk over.

"Mornin'," he greeted.

"Mornin'," she said back.

"Did yew sleep well?"

"Eh, it was alright. Kinda miss having a bed though."

Ellis grinned, "I know how yew feel. There was this one time, my buddy Keith an' I, we went out campin'. Didn't bring no sleepin' bags or nothin', so's we 'ad to sleep on the ground fer a _week! _Boy, were we ever glad when we got back home." He had a moment before realization slapped him in the face. "Yew…yew just lis'end to a whole story!"

"Uh, yeah," Cas said, "why wouldn't I?"

Ellis said nothing, just grinned happily to himself. Gosh, he was finding this little lady more and more likable by the second.

"Yes, well," came a voice from off to the side. They looked over to find Sophie sitting up and rubbing her temples. "Now that you have it out of your system, could we possibly wake everyone else up and get moving?"

Ellis nodded before getting up. Cas raised her eyebrows. Sophie had never been a morning person, but she wasn't normally _this _cranky. She sat down beside her friend and nodded to her. "What's up?"

Sophie groaned, "You're smitten with a hick who's smitten with you and I'm crushing on an untouchable. That's what's up. That and the ceiling…and the sky."

She stood and grabbed a pump shotgun. Stuffing shells into her pocket and strapping on a health pack she waited at the door for everyone else.

Cas wanted to laugh. _Of course _that was the problem. She should have seen it coming. Glancing over at Nick, she noticed his glance at Sophie. Maybe, she thought, maybe _she _could help Sophie out for once.

* * *

Sophie ran out ahead of the rest of them, flinging herself into a room beside the pay stalls.

"Guys!" They heard her frenzied call.

Mistaking her excitement for fear, Coach and Rochelle took off running in her direction only to be stopped as she popped her head out of the door frame, brandishing her find.

Her eyes practically gleamed from delight. "I've got a _sword._"

* * *

**Foot Note**: The comment about Sophie's pinky is totally true... I didn't believe it at first either o.o but I've seen it.


	6. Split

**Author's Note**: Thanks everyone for the support!

Disclaimer: Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

Unfortunately Ellis and Nick are too.

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -6- Split

* * *

In a fit of joy, Sophie ran forward, the new sword held high in the air.

"Wait up, Girl! Don't get separated!" Coach bellowed.

He and Rochelle quickened their pace in an attempt to bring her back.

"I'm surprised that's not you, Overalls," Nick commented.

If it had been the boy, there'd be no doubt Nick would've been cursing at him by now. He was more... accepting of Sophies impulses.

"What are yew try'n ta say Nick?" Ellis questioned in annoyance.

Right as Nick went to respond, a long, rope-like object wrapped around Ellis' waist. Without a second to react, the hick was jerked backwards onto the ground.

"This thing's pull'n me away!" He exclaimed in a panic.

Cas was quick to react, immediately running after him with her Deagle in tow. Nick, on the other hand, was on the slower side of the 'rescue'. Instead of getting the inclination to jump in and help, he walked forward, mumbling profanities along the way.

"The kids a fucking infected magne-"

A crazed laughter cut off the man's comment. He quickly turned around, only to be jumped by a small infected.

* * *

The voices of Rochelle and Coach had long been lost. After slicing up all the zombies in the area, Sophie had finally slowed down, looking around proudly at her work. It was only then that she realized that she was alone.

"Dammit. Where did everyone go?" Sophie questioned then crouched to wipe the blood off her new katana onto a zombie's shirt.

"Kill this Jockey on me!"

Sophie quickly got up and ran to where she heard Nicks voice. The path had been cleared from her previous outburst so it was a relatively quick trip. When she reached the struggling survivor, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. She had almost wished she were in the infecteds position.

"Get this thing off me!" Nick ordered.

Sophie snapped out of her thoughts and ran towards him, swinging her katana.

"Stop moving!" She instructed impatiently.

By then, she had taken a few swings at the Jockey, only managing to graze it. Nick put all his effort into keeping still. After that, it only took two swings to send the infected to the ground.

"About time," Nick grunted.

Sophie stifled a laugh. If not for the small scratches covering the mans face, she would've had a clever response.

"Let's just get moving," Nick muttered, "as much as I don't want to, we need to find the others."

* * *

"Got it!" Cas exclaimed.

She swiftly moved to Ellis' side and crouched beside him. His panicked expression softened into a grin when he saw her beam. She was happy because she was finally able to save someone. That and because she had sniped out a special infected from at least a hundred yards away. With a pistol.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" She asked, her eyes scanning over his body.

"Ahh, n-no. Just a bit sore," he dismissed.

The two got up, finally taking in their surrounding. The area was anything but familiar and Nick was nowhere to be seen.

"Nick! Where'd yew go?" Ellis called out.

Cas put her hand on his shoulder to stop him, "we don't want to attract anymore infected. Let's just keep moving and hopefully we'll meet up with them."

The boy nodded hesitantly and followed her lead. Knowing Nick, he wouldn't wait around for them, and Rochelle, Coach, and Sophie were a long ways ahead already.

"I ever tell you 'bout the time me and Keith went camping? We went on one of them hikes and Keith went an' got lost. I look'd for an entire day an' couldn' find 'im," Ellis started.

Cas looked over at him. Did he know he could be narrating their situation right now?

"And did you find him after?" She asked cautiously.

His grin widened, "yes ma'am. Found 'im up in a tree. Said he saw a bear just 'fore I found 'im."

_At least the story had a good ending_, Cas thought.

The pair moved on, passing game tent after game tent. She had to tell Ellis 'no' every five seconds or so for every time he asked to stop and play. There was even one that had a gnome as a prize. If it weren't for the need of ammo in the game, Cas didn't think she would've been able to resist.

"Can we stop and make some cotton candy? When we find a machine that is," he asked.

He gave her a grin that she couldn't refuse.

"Sure, but don't blame me if you get sick," she teased.

"If I could survive Keiths cook'n, then I can survive a bit of sum good ol' cotton candy," he assured.

After a bit more walking, the two reached a building and followed the stairs up to the roof.

"Well, I'll be damned. I used ta love this here slide as a kid!" Ellis informed eagerly.

Without another word, he raced to the top of the slide and waved Cas over. She followed him up, giggling at his excitement. Neither of them had heard the gurgles of an infected, until it ran forward at them. Instantly, Ellis took aim and shot the round infected in the gut. Neither survivor expected the explosion of bodily fluids. Both had been covered in the green mess, rendering their vision useless and causing them to stumble backwards.

"Ahhh! I can't see shi-" Ellis' shouting was cut off by a high pitched scream.

Without her vision, Cas couldn't tell what was what as she tumbled down the rippling slide. As quickly as it had happened, she hit the hard ground, causing a sharp pain to rip through her side.

Hearing her scream, Ellis brought his hand to his face and cleared his vision. From every direction, they were being swarmed.

"Shit!"

He reached for the gun he had dropped, just remembering the pipe bomb in his pocket.

"Chase this yew sons'a'bitches!" He shouted as he tossed the beeping bomb behind him.

As all the zombies charged the homemade bomb, he ran down the slide and knelt beside Cas.

"What's hurt?" He asked quickly as she used her sleeve to clear her vision.

"I think I reopened my side," she muttered bitterly.

He reached down to help her up, but the remaining zombies charged at them once more.

"You've got to be kidd'n me," he whined.

It didn't take long for the two to take down the remaining stragglers and get a move on. Ellis picked up his fellow survivor (despite her protests) and started towards the next building.

"We need ta get this shit off'a us a-sap," he reasoned, "I think they're 'tracted to it."

The building they entered lead to a large ledge. At the bottom, Ellis spotted a set of washrooms across from the carousel. He paused to think for a moment, then placed Cas on her feet and moved to the ledge.

"I'll go down and help yew out, 'kay?" He asked.

She nodded, despite her hesitance, "I'm not that light..."

He gave her a confused look, his head tilting to the side slightly," what're yew talkin 'bout? Yer as light as a feather."

Her cheeks immediately heated up. She was thankful he had already turned his back and was jumping down.

"Alright, yer turn," he called.

Tentatively, she moved towards the ledge and looked down at him. The drop wasn't nearly as far as she had thought, but she still didn't like heights.

"Just jump, I'll catch yew."

She bit her lip, "promise?"

"Yes ma'am. I wouldn' let yew fall."

With a quick breath in, she closed her eyes and stepped off the ledge. She was still a bit surprised that she landed in his arms.

"Thanks..." She said quietly.

Ellis beamed as he started walking again, "any time."

Once at the washrooms, he placed her back on her feet and backed up.

"If we get ourselves cleaned up, I can patch yew up," he informed uneasily, "I'll just go nex'door."

With a nod, she waited for him to leave before letting out a deep sigh. Leave it to her to always get into trouble.

* * *

It didn't take much for them to get the green puke (whether or not they wanted to admit that it was indeed puke) off their clothes. Just a bit of water and it came off relatively easily. The only set back was that they were now soaked.

"Yew done?" Ellis asked from outside.

Cas shifted under the hand blow drier where she was sitting, "yup."

He entered the washroom, a health pack in hand. "Alrighty then. Let's getcha patched up."

* * *

**Foot Note**: I wonder if cookie bribery will work :D


	7. Enjoy the Ride

**Author's Note**: Wooo! I love holidays XD Any who, thanks everyone for supporting the cause! For those of you still boycotting the reviews... no cookie for you!

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -7- Enjoy the Ride

* * *

Coach and Rochelle had just run through the most terrifying carousel they had ever encountered in their entire lives. After turning it off and fighting off the excessive amount of zombies it attracted, they quickly found the next safe house.

"Looks like we're the first ones here," commented Rochelle.

They lost Sophie when she turned a corner, they heard Ellis being pulled away by a smoker, and they heard Nick yelling about a jumper.

And all they could do for now was wait and pray that all of their friends were alright.

* * *

The whole operation between Sophie and Nick had been very quiet. Both of them used stealth to take out any infected they spotted, and speed to get through the maze of games and food stalls.

That was, until Sophie got caught in acid.

"Son of a mothers goat!" she cursed, trying to wipe the acid on her feet and legs furiously. The two hadn't seen the spitter behind them until the tell tale gurgling turned into a hoarking spit.

In seconds, her leather sandals melted into nothing and the skin on her feet and ankles began to burn with a vengeance. She cried out in pain, hopping out of it and into a puddle. Collapsing onto her behind she immediately began to wash her feet off. Still bleeding (though no longer burning) she sat there.

Nick took in the fallen form of this girl. Until seconds ago, he thought she may have been pretty near indestructible. Now, obviously, with her crumpled to the floor and the muscles of her feet exposed, she was vulnerable.

She looked up at him in a mixture of distress and annoyance. "Now what?"

Being on top of a roof made their options a little limited. "What do you mean '_now what'_?"

She rolled her eyes. "I _mean, _neither of us have a heath pack, I'm bleeding from the feet, and you _obviously_ can't carry me the rest of the way."

"And what do you mean by _that_?"

Blowing a raspberry, she looked directly at him. "Look, I case you haven't noticed, I'm a whole lot of woman. You're probably not that strong and I can't use you as a crutch on the count of, oh yeah, _we don't have any way to wrap my feet!_"

Nick was not one to be insulted, and he would not have some _little girl _tell him that he was weak. _Especially _not one that he would like to…impress was the wrong word. Prove wrong was more like it.

Without warning Nick kneeled down and scooped the girl up into his arms. With a surprised squeak Sophie flung her arms around his neck for safety.

"Wh-what are you doing? Put me down! Right this instant—put me down!" she demanded

"Nope," was his only response.

She was flushed furiously from the close contact and the sheer _intimacy _of the position. He could have at least told her to climb onto his back.

She shouldn't have wished she was in the jockeys position.

"Sorry Cas. I don't know how t' do stitches like yer friend does."

A small frown crept onto Ellis' face. He hated that he couldn't help the girl in-front of him. All he could do for now was clean it, wrap it up, and hope that they were close to a safe room.

"Heh, it's okay Ellis. I'll get Soph' to do it for me. She's probably already in the safe room wondering where everyone else is!"

Ellis smiled at the thought. Everyone else was probably waiting for them! This girl sure did know how to make him happy.

He pulled her into a careful hug, helping her up in the process. She climbed onto his back when indicated, positioning her weapon to defend the two of them. _I could get used to this, _they both thought.

Through the still carousel and around the corner sat the tunnel of love, and inside the ride was the bright red door the both of them had been looking for. Beaming, Ellis picked up his speed and ran to the door.

* * *

After the awkward incident with the slide (in which he made her sit on his lap) Sophie had decided that if you can't beat him, mock him.

"So," she started, "you do this often?"

Nick grunted.

"Mmm, not much of a romantic, I see."

He scoffed. Besides his hurt pride, he couldn't fully understand why he was doing this. Hell, he never did this kind of thing for his ex-wife…ever. Not even the time she broke her leg.

When they came across a ledge with no way down but jumping, both of them stopped. Undoubting of his abilities, Nick placed Sophie on the ledge and jumped off. He looked at her expectantly.

"Oh. Oh, you want me to jump, is that it?" she said. "And I suppose you're going to tell me that you'll catch me?"

The noise that left his throat could only be considered a growl. "Look, there's no other way to do it. I've carried you so far, so this shouldn't be a problem."

Still, she hesitated. Sophie was never one to rely on others for her safety. She scrunched up her face in distress until he spoke again.

Sighing, he reached up and rubbed the ridge of his nose. "Come on," he reasoned, "I didn't even do this sort of thing for my ex-wife. I can't leave you now after carrying you all this way; you're important to…us."

Raising her eye brows, she studied the conman. From his coaxing she had learned two things. One, he used to be married (which put a damper on Sophies mood even more), and two, he wasn't as terrible as he made himself seem.

He was just an ass sometimes.

Shifting to the edge and tensing her arms she called out, "If you drop me, I'll drop kick you so fast you won't know what happened."

Pushing herself over the edge she waited for the impact. Surprised when she was caught, her eyes flung open and she clung to her catcher. He looked at her smugly, smirking.

"See," he said, "you're in good hands."

Making it through an abandoned carousel and across a park bench filled area, the two spotted the safe room door in the tunnel of love.

Before they reached the door, Nick smirked. "By the way," he said, "you owe me a massage."

Letting out a clipped laugh, the door was ripped open by a frenzied looking Rochelle.

"Oh my God!" she cried, "You two made it!"

"Barely," muttered Sophie as Nick was being ushered in.

Scanning the area, the two friends spotted each other. Both of them grinned in relief, unable to do anything else due to their injuries. Quickly, Sophie spotted the red stain on her friends shirt. Her smile dropped.

"Nick," she said, looking at him, "put me down by Cas, please. And if you wouldn't mind, could you bring two health packs?"

Without a word, he gently set her down by her friend and the hick, turning to retrieve the medical supplies. The hicks jaw nearly dropped to the floor at the conmans compliance. Setting down two red bags, Nick left to occupy the other end of the room.

Sophie stared her friend down. "I like how careful you've been with those stitches." She stated simply, pulling out several instruments to fix the problem.

"Sorry," Cas said with a shrug, "couldn't be helped."

She assumed the position, laying down and moving her arm out of the way. Seeing as Ellis was still there, Sophie decided to use it to her advantage.

"As you know," she began, "this hurts." Her eyes shifted to Ellis. "So if your boyfriend here would like to be a gentleman, he can hold your hand for you."

Cas turned red in an instant. "He's not my bo—"

"I c'n hold yer hand if ye'd like me to," he interrupted. "But if yew don't want, I c'n understand that too."

Cas shook her head quickly, timidly inching her hand closer to his. As soon as he clasped it, Sophie began pulling the previous stitches out of her side.

Finishing up with her friend (who was still holding hands with Ellis, though she didn't have the heart to point it out) and after cleaning and wrapping her own feet with little difficulty, the blonde turned to her last task of the night.

He was sitting in the darkest corner of the room, looking as though he were thinking to himself. She tottered over the best she could and sat down beside him. The two looked at each other before Sophie got to her knees behind him. Pulling off his jacket for him, he removed his shirt. As her hands worked out the tension she asked her question.

"Wanna talk about it?"

He scoffed, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Okay." She finished her work, laying down on the bed roll he set out.

Glancing around the room he spotted Rochelle asleep, Coach on watch, and Cas and Ellis happily curled together (for warmth, they would later excuse). Looking down at the sleeping girl he shrugged to himself.

If the hick was allowed a little warmth for the night, so was he.

* * *

**Foot Note**: Anyone know what s&h would be for cookies? XP


	8. Tunnel of Love

**Author's Note**: Wooo cookies all around! lol. On a side note... I've just recently discovered that this site doesn't show more than one 'enter', rendering page breaks/paragraphs rather useless. If anyone knows how to get around that, let me know. I'll use those 'ruler' things for now. Thanks.

Disclaimer:

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

Unfortunately Nick and Ellis are too.

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -8- Tunnel of Love

* * *

By the time the sun's rays peaked through the safe rooms door, everyone had awoken. No one made any comments on the evident pairing going on (warmth or not). It did fit the atmosphere though. The next bit of their journey was through the tunnel of love.

From across the room, Nick noticed Coach's leery glance. He didn't like it.

"Bringing back any memories, Coach? You, a cheeseburger, romance in the air..."

The stifled laughter of Ellis and Cas put a slight frown on Coach's face.

"How many tunnel of love memories YOU got, Nick?" The man asked.

Nicked seemed taken back by his challenge, "Pfft. Huh. Several. Easily."

An abrupt snicker escaped the older mans lips. He decided that he had won their little contest.

"I ever tell you about the time me and Keith snuck into a tunnel of love? Man, if you get your spit thick enough-"

"Not now, Ellis," Nick cut in.

Silently, he got up and collected his things. After one look from Sophie, he got her gear as well.

"Man, I've never seen Nick so... cooperative," Ellis whispered to Cas.

A grin pulled on her lips, but the scowl her friend was hosting was discouraging. Though she had some bonding time with Nick the previous day, Sophie couldn't help the nagging voice in her head, mainly about his ex-wife and the 'several' tunnel of love memories. Plus there was the fact that her feet and legs were throbbing. The whole ordeal left a sour taste in her mouth.

"Let's get moving people. Don't want to waste time," Coach instructed.

Ellis sent Cas an expectant look, then knelt down in front of her.

She chuckled lightly and placed a hand on his back, "I think I'll be fine for now."

"Ah, right," he replied quickly, "we c'n kill more zombies too."

Nick watched them from afar, finding Ellis quite transparent. With one glance at Sophie's bandaged feet, he lowered himself in front of her. At least his motives were—actually, he didn't know why he was being so... kind. As he pondered on the thought, Sophie walked right past him. Well, it was actually more of a limp. Either way, Nick didn't appreciate it. With a growl, he marched forward and threw her over his shoulder.

"What the-! Put me down!"

She started pounding her fists against his back, but his grip didn't waver.

"Suck it up, you'll only slow us down," Nick muttered.

Stopping her tantrum, she lowered her arms; she wasn't agreeing, she reasoned with herself, she was tolerating.

Reaching the end of the main hall, they had already killed about two dozen zombies. It wasn't going to be as easy of a trip as they had thought.

"Dang, look at Nicks jacket!" Ellis pointed out enthusiastically.

The group looked over at the mans white suit. The vibrant lights of the tunnel had created an almost hypnotizing glow on the white jacket. Well, at least it was for Sophie and Cas.

"Keep your eyes on the zombies, Ellis," Nick instructed.

The boy looked away sourly. Cas followed suit, but would steal glances at the sparkly outfit periodically.

"Punk-ass Hunter around," Coach whispered.

The rest of the group stopped moving, all ears concentrating on the growing growls. Cas drew in closer to Ellis.

Keeping quiet, Coach continued forward, his gun at the ready. The rest followed hesitantly.

"Keep close everyone," Rochelle warned.

They did as they were told, the sounds of footsteps in water echoing around them.

"Come out you scrawny little bitch!" Nick shouted out.

A startling screech ripped through the air and the hooded figure flew at them from behind.

"Shit!" Nick was quick to jump to the side, making sure to keep Sophie from hitting the ground as he fell.

Next in the line of fire was Cas. She could have easily moved, but the scene was all too familiar. Her body wouldn't budge. With that being the case, Ellis shoved her to the side and took the full impact of the infected.

"I got'cha, boy!" Coach called as he swung his crowbar at the creature.

It instantly fell onto the ground beside the hick, tainting the water a deep red. It took her a second, but once she processed what just happened, she ran to Ellis' side.

"Are you okay? Why'd you jump in front of me? You could've got hurt!" The words were flying out of her mouth so fast, it was surprising anyone understood.

The boy put his hands above his head in his defence, "I couldn' let'chu get hurt again."

Before anything else could be said, the groans of infected filled the tunnel. The three that had fallen quickly rose to their feet, Sophie moving onto Nick's back.

"Soph, use this," Cas instructed as she handed her friend the Deagle she'd been carrying.

Sophie nodded her thanks and handed off her ninja sword in return. The sword was then passed onto Ellis, who was low on ammo.

"Finally, all them karate lessons gonna pay off," he said enthusiastically.

Now that everyone was set, the group marched forward, clearing out the overly populated amusement ride. All was going well, until they heard soft crying from up ahead.

"Someone's still alive!" Ellis called out.

He instantly raced forward, set on helping out the new survivor. If they were crying, then something must have been wrong.

"Hey, uh, yew okay miss?" the hick asked carefully.

The figure straightened its back slightly, its sobs turning into more of an aggravated groan.

"Miss...?"

Suddenly, Ellis was grabbed from behind and pulled backwards, a hand clamping over his mouth before he could shout.

"Boy, that ain't a survivor, it's one of those crying bitches," Coach explained as he released his hold on him.

"Now, Coach, that ain't very nice ta say," the hick replied in a scolding tone.

The group mentally slapped themselves. He really wasn't the brightest.

"It's an infected, Ellis," Cas explained.

His jaw dropped slightly, "but she's cryin'."

"And she'll rip you to pieces if you disturb her," Nick added.

The new information finally sunk into his head, "so we need ta get 'round her?"

Coach nodded and turned off his flashlight, "do this right and we can be outta here in no time."

The rest of the group gave an agreeing nod and followed Coach as he made his way to the side of the tunnel. It was a risky maneuver, but if they didn't want to lose anyone, it was the only way.

The survivors found themselves holding their breath as they passed the hunched over infected. Once they were away from her, they let out a joined sigh.

"Think she's cryin' 'cuz her boyfriend left'er in the tunnel 'o love?" Ellis asked worriedly.

Cas was the only one to find his question humorous, "maybe. I know I'd be a little sad."

Ellis' eyes trailed down the path, "anyone that'd leave yew here ain't too bright..."

Nick groaned in annoyance, "get a room, Overalls."

Ellis opened his mouth to protest, but stopped when he saw the blush on Cas' cheeks. He decided he would ignore Nick's comments.

"Alright everybody, into the swan maintenance room of love!" The hick announced happily.

Ellis' three-sixty, put a scowl on Nick's face. Any attempt to shut the kid up always ended with him full of even more enthusiasm. Maybe he should just give up.

The six entered the maintenance room, their attentions immediately tuning to the stairs.

Rochelle was the most pleased with the find. "Finally, we can get out of this water."

* * *

"And right back into it," Rochelle groaned.

The stairs the survivors had found led them into a series of rooms. The last one was a dead end with a giant hole in the floor. Of course, the hole led back to the flooded tunnel.

"Hmm, shit. First time I ever couldn't wait to get out of the Tunnel of Love," Coach commented as they started dropping to the floor bellow them.

The guys jumped down first, cleared the area of zombies, and then helped the girls down. It was the first time for any of the guys to want to leave the suggestive ride.

"Looks like there's a hole in the wall up ahead," Rochelle pointed out, "maybe we can get out that way."

With a new form of encouragement, they marched towards the break in the wall. It was indeed, a way out.

Ellis ran ahead, his eyes sparkling with excitement, "aw man, that's the Screaming Oak!"

* * *

**Foot Note**: Figures there's only one break in this one :l Anyways! Reviews people, it's what keeps us going ^^


	9. Screaming Rooftops

**Author's Note**: Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, it keeps us writing!

Disclaimer

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

Unfortunately Ellis and Nick are too.

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -9- Screaming Rooftops

* * *

The six looked at the ride ahead of them with mixed reactions. Both Cas and Ellis were excited out of their minds, Coach and Rochelle were weary, and Sophie and Nick were on the verge of fear (tears, in Sophie's case).

In the tunnel of love, Sophie had trusted Nick to catch her coming out of the long drop from the hole. Now, she was going to have to trust him to run a roller coaster with a swarm of zombies chasing them.

The group sat down at the entrance of the ride, checking their supplies and talking strategy. Cas was practically jittering with excitement until she spotted the bandages on Sophie's feet.

"Oh, shit," she muttered.

"You're telling me," her friend grumbled in response.

"So," Rochelle asked, "what's the plan?"

"I'll tell you what the plan is," Coach stood to gain everyone's attention. "You 'n me, Ro, we're gonna run this coaster as fast as we can and turn that alarm off. Nick will carry Sophie, and Ellis and Cas will defend them. We'll all meet up at the end."

Agreed murmurs floated through the group until Sophie cleared her throat. All attention was on her. A face of superiority was firmly planted on Sophies face, and Cas knew that whatever she was planning, she wanted in on it.

"I'm in," Cas said before Sophie even got the chance to open her mouth.

Chuckling, she nodded, "I'll need someone with me anyway." She looked at the gate. "It's a roller coaster, right?" Everyone nodded, not quite understanding her point yet. "Well, in the words of my buddy Ellis, 'I wanna ride one!'"

The hicks jaw hit the floor and Cas let out a booming laugh. Nick joined in the laughter, though mostly because of the southern accent Sophie added onto her quote.

"And how do you s'pose you're gonna do that, little lady?" questioned Coach.

"Well, if Nick gives me a boost, I can get over the gate and hop onto the coaster. Cas can climb over it, and we'll get to the end pretty fast. Cas can turn off the ride and we'll hold out until the rest of you arrive." She looked at Nick. "Gonna boost me up, muscle man?"

Nick grumbled at the nickname and Ellis laughed. With no effort he picked her up and sat her at the edge of the gate. Cas climbed over just as Sophie delicately slipped off and limped to the ride. The two fastened the seat belts, grinning as though it were the happiest day of their lives.

Hey, it may have been the happiest day for a while.

"Ready?" asked Rochelle, her hand on the button.

Ellis leaned over to check on Cas. "Good luck," he wished her.

She nodded, her smile now directed at him.

"Here we go!" Shouted Coach as Rochelle hit the switch. The ride began up the hill and the gates opened as soon as all the cars passed. The four ran out onto the tracks and began to follow as best as they could. From behind them they could hear a faint, "Run, man! Run!"

The two screamed as they hit the first hill down, whooping and cheering the rest of the way. A few zombies were cleared out as they hit them. When the ride stopped their excited laughter didn't. Cas sprang from her seat and turned the ride off. Sophie used her arms to haul herself out of her place and onto the back of the seat. Killing off the zombies that came at them with ease, they waited for their friends to join them at the end.

After a minute, their cheer dissolved with the sound of Rochelles distressed scream. They looked at each other for a second and Sophie nodded. She pulled herself out of the coaster and hopped into the operating booth as Cas fled her position to help her team out. With only her front to worry about, the task of defending herself was an easy one. With all the adrenaline pumping through Cas' veins, she reached her friends fast enough only to find Rochelle on the floor and the other three fully occupied with the offending dead.

When they caught sight of Cas, Coach helped Rochelle up and the three made a barrier around her as they shuffled to the end of the ride. Cas led the group with her axe in hand, removing any barriers from their destination. When Sophie caught sight of them, she shot at any approaching zombie and soon enough the six were together. Finishing off the swarm fast enough in their number, they were left drained and breathing heavily.

"I never want to go on another roller coaster ever again," complained Rochelle from her spot on the floor.

"Come on girl, get up!" coaxed Coach, throwing her arm over his shoulder.

"Uh, I am too young to feel this old."

With a limping Coach and Rochelle leading the way, Ellis held out his hand to coax Cas into following him; she took it without question. Sophie looked at Nick, shaking her head.

"Are you gonna let me walk to the safe house myself this time?"

"Nope."

"Can I _not _become a sack of potatoes this time?"

Nick pretended to think for a moment. And just in case he had any doubt in his mind, Sophie added, "I like the view of your ass and all, but it kinda hurts my ribs after a while."

Coach let out a barking laugh and while he was distracted Sophie stood and carefully walked behind him. Growling again, he came up behind her and knocked her off her feet, into his arms.

Blowing a stray hair out of her face, the blonde shut the door behind them.

"Happy new year!" cheered Nick.

* * *

The group had survived another night and were now standing in front of a series of barn houses. The two girls were still occasionally giggling at the strength testing game. Keeping a straight face from Nicks shoulder, Sophie did her best impression.

"Mustachio! Ha ha ha!"

Cas and Ellis doubled over in a fit of laughter, with Rochelle trying to stifle hers. The other two men didn't find her joke as amusing.

"Yeah, real nice Sophie. I suppose you're going to ask to _walk _through the barns next, aren't you?" Said Nick.

She shifted slightly, "actually…"

"No."

"But Nick—"

"Don't you 'but Nick' me." He cut her off. "This is for your own good."

"Well Nick," began Ellis, "I think wut the little lady here means is that yer kinda smutherin' her."

"Yeah," piped in Cas, fully aware of the opportunity. "We all know you've got a thing for her, but this is a little over the top."

Nick sputtered, releasing his hold on the girl attached to him. She slid off his back and onto her feet. Unlike her friend, she did have worse at one point or another.

"Come on," Sophie reasoned, placing a hand on Nicks shoulder, "if my feet really start hurting, then I'll let you carry me like a sack of potatoes, okay?"

Nick looked her straight in the eye. "What, so you can look at my ass again?"

"Wh-what?"

Cas and Ellis laughed again. They seemed to find the same things amusing, and it only furthered the little thing each had for the other.

Slower than normal, though not painfully so, the six moved through the barns. Her feet, Sophie found, weren't as bad as she thought they would be. She just hoped that they wouldn't have to run from anything else.

Climbing onto the roof had posed some difficulty, though once they were on, Sophie found the most amusing thought run through her mind.

"Up on the roof top, click, click, click," she sang.

Nick glared back at her. "Don't you dare."

"Down through the chimney comes old saint Nick!"

Giggles filled the silence until they reached the end of the roof tops. Sophie let out a protesting groan, recognizing the task ahead of them. Nick just smirked.

* * *

Inside the safe room, after running through a stampede of zombies, the six collapsed into heaps, un-wanting of anything else but sleep. Wounds were patched, checked, and healed. Supplies were evenly distributed and set out. Now, with need of a plan, the group found themselves lucky they had Coach.

"Alright, here's the plan," he said, standing in-front of everyone. "Y'all know the Midnight Riders. They're gonna save us."

Ellis shifted, "I hate to break it to yew Coach, but I don't think they're actually here."

Coach gave him a reproaching look. "We'll set of their finale, and the copper gotta know something's up. And nobody, I mean NOBODY has a bigger light show than the Midnight Riders."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Nick grumbled, "This had to be the stupidest idea I've ever agreed with."

* * *

All in pairs once more, the six bunkered down for a rest.

They would need it.

* * *

**Foot Note**: Alrighty! Almost at double digits. Wooo. Any comments, questions, ect ect are welcomed and appreciated. Let us know what you guys think so far ^^


	10. Midnight Riders

**Author's Note**: Finally hit double digits! Thanks everyone!

Disclaimer

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

Unfortunately Ellis and Nick are too.

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -10- Midnight Riders

* * *

"So that's the Midnight Riders?" Cas asked quietly.

Cas and Ellis had been the first up out of the group. Cas had figured it would be best to let everyone rest for as long as possible, so the two were trying to stay quiet. She had originally planned to wiggle away from Ellis without waking him, but she couldn't seem to get out of his tight grip.

"Yup, that's them all right!" He answered happily.

Cas quickly brought her index finger to her lips and giggled. Her finger then moved to point at the bands poster.

"Aren't the bassists supposed to be hot?" She questioned.

Ellis gave the girl a blank look. He wasn't sure what to make of the question, considering he was a bassist and all. Now would probably be a good time to disclose it.

"I never heard that 'fore," he answered, "but I was in a band with my buddies."

A small smirk crept onto her lips. "You're the bassist aren't you?"

He nodded with a grin then put two and two together. Had she just called him hot?

"Hey, look at that. You know, Cas is a bassist too."

Both heads snapped towards Sophie's voice, wondering how long she had been listening.

"Wait. You play bass too?" Ellis asked.

The girl nodded nervously. Now that the topic was turned around on her, she wasn't quite sure how to react.

"I guess if I looked at all them female bassists I know of, then I'd have to agree."

Cas raised an eyebrow at him and his goofy grin. If he was true to his hick nature, then she doubted he knew of many female musicians at all, let alone female bassists.

"Get a room," Nick groaned.

"Now, now, Nick. I'm just statin' a fact," Ellis defended innocently.

* * *

The group was quick to get up after that. As before, they had laid out all their equipment. There had even been some ammo left behind by previous survivors. Unfortunately, there wasn't any for Ellis' assault rifle.

"D'ang, looks like I'm stuck with the axe," he stated plainly. "I've always wanted at be an axe murderer."

His comment won a few chuckles in the room before Nick got up impatiently. "Not that I wouldn't love to sit around with you guys all day, but I think we should get going."

"Alright y'all! Let's get this show on the road," Coach announced as he stood up.

He and Nick led the way through the main corridor, making sure to clear the area of infected. It didn't take the group long to make it to the main stage area, even with Sophie on her own two feet.

"Wish I could've played at a venue like this," Cas mumbled in awe.

The others nodded in agreement, making their own comments about the sizeable arena. Instead of joining in, Ellis ran ahead and jumped onto the stage.

"Boy, what are you up to?" Coach questioned curiously.

Ellis disappeared behind a stack of amps for a moment, reappearing a second later with a guitar in hand and a grin on his face. With a laugh, Cas ran over to meet him.

"As much as I'd love to, I don't think we'll have time," she reasoned. "I've always wanted to smash a guitar over someone's head though."

The hick gave her a questioning look.

"Just once!" She defended, "and they'd have to have really pissed me off."

The rest of the group joined the pair on the stage, turning to Coach expectantly.

"Anyone know how to work this thing?" he asked.

Everyone shrugged simultaneously; all except for Cas.

"I can figure it out, I guess," she informed as she glanced around the stage. "It can't be too hard..."

"Says the 'techie'," Sophie commented slyly.

Cas ignored her friends comment; she had heard that bit of commentary far too many times.

"Ellis, can you climb up there and set the lights?" She asked, pointing a way up the bleachers.

With a nod, he darted off towards the seating area up ahead.

Then she turned to Rochelle and Coach, "could you two get those, I think they're fireworks, over there?"

The two followed their instructions, leaving Sophie and Nick.

"Uhm, you guys can..." Cas paused, not really knowing what else there was to do. "I guess you can just go over there and make out." She had to hold back her fit of laughter as the pair turned to complete their 'task', only just realizing what the girl had said.

"What the! Are you kidding?" Nick shouted out.

His face had gone red. Cas wasn't sure if it was anger, or a blush. She just shrugged and turned to the main control panel. Sophie, on the other hand kept her back turned, but Cas could've guessed what was going through her mind and that her face was probably a stunning red. Finally, she had pulled one on her friend. Mission success.

"There's really nothing left to do but kill zombies," she stated indifferently, trying to hold back her amusement.

She moved to the workable side of the controls and looked over the buttons and switches. Everything seemed in order; there was even a finale button.

"Well, that makes things easy," she stated in amusement.

Once the three survivors returned to the area, they set up the fireworks and gas cans they found around the stage (where they had decided to stay).

"You're going to use fire? On zombies?" Sophie questioned incredulously.

Her friend shot her a determined look. "It will work."

* * *

Sparkling lights flew into the air as the finale began. The whole front portion of the stage had started shooting up fireworks and sparklers, leaving only the side entrances to be watched over.

"Man, this is gonna be like the...fourth time the Midnight Riders have saved my life!" Ellis shouted out over the blaring music.

None of the survivors could help the grins slowly growing on their lips. It was hard to deny the fact that this would go down as the most amazing rescue. Ever. They had some kick ass music playing and they were fighting a horde of zombies. You couldn't get much cooler than that.

"Fat guy!" Nick called.

It was hard to keep a straight face as they watched the large infected charge (or rather, wobble) towards them, then be exploded before even getting close. Unfortunately, it wasn't as funny when the distinct growl of a tank made its way through the guitar solo.

"Guys, I don't mean to ruin all the fun, but for Christ sake, shoot the tank!" Sophie ordered.

All, minus Coach, turned their attention to the giant infected running at them from the top of the bleachers. Coach kept his back to the others, making sure to keep the common infected at bay.

Soon enough, the tank fell dead in front of the stage. The music stopped right on cue, allowing the survivors to hear just how many zombies there really were.

"How are we holdin' up?" Coach asked.

The remaining survivors gave a few thumbs up and a nod then turned back to the fight as the next song started up. Of course, it was followed by a fresh horde of zombies.

"Aw man! One Bad Man! I love this song!" Ellis exclaimed excitedly.

Nearing the end of the song, the one sound that would make all their efforts worth while could be faintly heard in the background of all the commotion.

"I can't believe it actually worked!" Nick called out in utter amazement.

Over the right side of the stadium, the copter appeared. It flew in to one side, then circled back and waited near the bleachers on the far left. Each survivor forced themselves to blink a few extra times for it to actually sink in. They were being rescued!

"Everyone! To the choppa!" Coach bellowed.

Without really needing to be told, they rushed forward. Everyone had their own doubts on whether the plan would work or not, but now that rescue had arrived, they were ecstatic.

"It worked! I love you, Coach!" Nick called out.

The older man turned back to give him a grin, but what caught his eye wasn't pleasant. A second tank roared behind the group, knocking over the commons that got in its way.

The survivors quickly piled into the helicopter, with only Coach and Ellis lagging behind.

"Guys, let's go!" Nick called out.

Coach lowered his gun and high tailed it to safety, assuming Ellis would follow. The boy wasn't sure why he kept up his fire on the tank, but the moment the creature picked up a large piece of rubble, he didn't much care anymore. Throwing down his gun, he turned and ran. Just as he had dashed away, he felt impact on his side and he was instantly thrown forward, rolling down the remainder of the seating.

"Ellis!"

Cas' voice rang out in his head as the world circled around him. Ignoring the lack of mobility in his left arm, he stumbled to his feet. There was no way he'd die here like this. He couldn't.

He felt a strong hand grab hold of his shirt, pulling him forward and onto the platform of the copter. They had finally made it.

* * *

**Foot Note**: Sorry Ellis! . But at least everyone made it!


	11. Swamp Water

**Authors Note**: Woo! Swamp Fever anyone? Gotta say... not one of my fave campaigns :P And thanks to the lot of you who review! Don't be shy to talk about the game either, I play quite a bit XP

Disclaimer

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

Unfortunately Ellis and Nick are too.

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -11- Swamp Water

* * *

Even though they were out of immediate danger, there were still a few issues that needed attention inside the copter. Ellis' shoulder was one of them.

"Sophie!" cried Cas. "_Do something_!"

Rolling her eyes, (though secretly concerned) the girl sat beside the hick and felt for damage. Pursing her lips a little, she looked over to Coach.

"You're probably going to want to hold him down." Looking at Cas, she smirked. "And you're probably going to want to hold his good hand."

Shooting her friend a disapproving look, she complied. With Ellis held down, half out of it from the impact, and calmed by the girls grip, Sophie's job seemed a lot easier than it had a few moments ago.

"Now," she said, aligning the bone, "I've never put a bone back into its socket, so you've gotta bear with me."

Before anyone could fully realize when she had just said, the blonde shoved his arm back into place. She was more surprised than anyone else to find out that it worked. Nodding to herself in congratulations, she leaned over to the pilot in thanks.

"Hey! Thanks for getting us out of there, man!" She yelled over the noise.

The helicopter pilot simply grunted, rubbing his arm in what could have been a bashful gesture if it hadn't been for a shiny dark liquid that smeared on his jacket. She sat fully back in her seat, analyzing the situation.

Leaning over to Nick, who was seated beside her, she said quietly into his ear, "If this guy's not immune, can I count on you to do the right thing?"

He shot her a look as she gestured over to the pilot. Nodding, he turned to face forward again.

* * *

"What the hell Nick! Yew shot the pilet!" Ellis complained.

"He was a zombie, Ellis. I shot a zombie. He must have gotten bitten before he picked us up," Nick reasoned.

"That's true," Rochelle piped in, "if I had to pick a low point in the flight, it would be when he stopped flying the chopper and…attacked us. Anyone know where we are?"

Looking out the door and taking in the smell, Cas scrunched up her nose. "It smells like we're in a swamp."

"And it looks like I would really enjoy a pair of pants right now," Sophie interrupted. "And shoes."

* * *

In no particular sequence of events, they had defended themselves at a plane wreckage, traveled on a ferry, nearly drowned several times, Nick acquired a sniper rifle, and Sophie stole a pair of shorts and a tank top from a zombie.

They were now looking at 'shanty town.'

"Are you kidding me?" asked Cas.

"I'm not laughing," responded Rochelle.

"I'm actually crying a little, in case no one noticed," of course when she said this, Sophies face was deadpan and dry.

Arriving at a plank, Coach hit the lever and the group steeled themselves for the swarm to come. Moving in a tight unit, the six inched towards the end of the maze of shacks. Every disaster that approached was counteracted by another calculated movement. By the end of it, everyone was fully amazed at the teamwork displayed.

"All right, team! That was some good work! Let's go find ourselves a safe house," Coach congratulated, bringing up the lead.

Once finding the safe house and ushering everyone inside safely, the six collapsed. In opposition to their previous routine, they hadn't stopped to rest long in any of the safe rooms they visited, opting instead to trudge forward and get out of the swamp as fast as they possibly could. Now that they were in a relatively dry looking area, it was time to sleep.

Getting everyone watered, fed, and taken care of went down easily enough. Cas and Ellis kept each other entertained with pre-apocalypse stories; occasionally another team member would join in the discussion. Sophie did one last check on Cas' side, which seemed to be healing properly despite the strain. She removed the stitches and moved onto Ellis who was only sore and bruised from his last encounter with a tank. Sophies own feet were healing well, although tender, she was starting to feel the skin toughen up again under the peeling scabs.

Finally, everyone curled in for the night except for Sophie, who volunteered to keep watch.

* * *

By morning, she had compiled a list of sleeping habits for each of her team members. Coach slept like a log. No movement. Sometimes it even looked like he stopped breathing. Rochelle rolled around a lot and murmured incoherent things to herself in her dreams. Nick curled around himself, often reaching out for something that wasn't there. Eventually, Sophie gave him a health pack to hug in his sleep. Ellis and Cas clung to each other no matter what. Sophie couldn't count the number of times the two shifted, only to wind up still cuddling the other. Right now, they were facing each other, foreheads pressed together, and arms lazily hung over the others waist.

Sitting in her chair, she observed them all as the sun rose. In truth, she fell asleep some time during the night for a few hours (maybe more), but no one would have to know. Nick was the first to rouse from his sleep. He grumbled, opening one eye and looking at the health pack he was holding. Frowning, he pushed it away from himself and sat up.

"Shh," cautioned Sophie before he even had the chance to open his mouth.

The conman gave her a questioning look. "Why?" he asked quietly.

She pointed to the couple curled together contentedly in sleep. Nick scoffed. She rolled her eyes in turn.

"It's not that I don't want to wake them," she explained, "I just want to see what happens here."

He stood and took his place beside her, looking down at the top of her head. "And what do you think is going to happen?"

"Well," she tilted her head, "if they keep adjusting the way they have been all night, then as soon as they move to get up, their lips should connect in a," Sophie paused to grimace for dramatic effect, "kiss of epic proportions, involving high amounts of confusion, embarrassment, and morning breath." She looked up at him. "Kinda makes you wish you had a camera."

He smiled at her theory.

"My AK says nothing happens," he challenged.

She rose her eye brows, looking him straight in the eye. "Are you sure you want to do that? It's a perfectly good waste of an AK that you're never gonna get back."

He scoffed. "You're on."

Minutes later, Coach and Rochelle woke up, causing a small commotion that neither of the two could ignore. Shifting from their places, both Ellis and Cas registered the slight pressure on their mouths. Their eyes shooting open, the two looked at each other in mild panic.

Attempting to talk at the same time caused an odd friction on their lips that made Cas' eyes shut again. She pulled away, fully embarrassed and far too happy for the given circumstance. Ellis attempted to compose himself by looking away, pretending it didn't happen.

Sophie held out her palm in Nicks direction.

* * *

"Tank!" called out Rochelle, throwing a Molotov at it.

"Ummmm," the group turned to Cas' panicked noise. "Tank again!" she cried out.

Looking over their shoulders, the group saw another hulking mass of zombie charge at them.

"Oh shit!" yelled Coach. "Look out!"

Grabbing the jar of "boomer bile" (as Ro called it) from her side, Sophie chucked it at the infected. In a matter of seconds other zombies surrounded the hulk, attacking it from all angles.

"So that's what it does," she said to herself.

As soon as the two tanks were taken care of the six ran out to the garden, grabbing the last of the ammo, and the few health packs left behind.

"…now what?" asked Cas.

The gate blew up behind her and everyone looked over in amazement.

"That's what," responded Sophie.

"Just run!" yelled Ellis, grabbing Cas' hand and booking it to the broken gate.

The rest raced after the two, pulling out short range weapons, and bashing through the beginning hoard to get to the boat. When in the water, Sophie even resorted to swimming through the water instead of wading.

Throwing themselves onto the boat, the captain took off, taking them from the scene and away from danger.

Still, this couldn't be the end of it.

* * *

**Foot Note**: Those tanks piss me off every time! Damn you ai director and your horrible sense of humor!


	12. Love Boat

**Author's Note**: Sorry people, I was going to post this one this morning but I forgot . Stupid school x.x

Disclaimer

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

Unfortunately Ellis and Nick are too.

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -12- Love Boat

* * *

Cas hung her upper body over the ferry's railing, watching the trees pass by. She was bored as hell, as were the rest of the survivors. Sophie and Coach had gone into the cabins bellow to get a bit of shut eye, leaving the other four on the deck. All was quiet, until a sigh escaped the conman's lips. Cas had an idea.

"Hey Nick," she called on as she sauntered over to his side, "can I ask you something?"

A worried look washed over the mans face as she sat down beside him. Something about her tone told him he wasn't in for a good time.

"Do I have a choice?" He questioned.

Cas just shook her head, "not really."

With a sigh, he leaned back, using his arms as support. He knew he was stuck.

"Weeelllllll," she started, "I noticed that you keep glancing over at Soph and-"

An incoherent sound made its way from Nick's throat. Her brows furrowed. Chances were it was a laugh of sorts.

"You've got to be kidding," he laughed.

"But-"

"Don't you think he's a little old for her, Sweetie?" Rochelle piped in.

Cas sent a glare at the woman across the deck. She wasn't helping the cause.

"How old are you?" She asked. That was probably the best place to start.

The man tried to ignore her, but a kick to the legs pulled his attention back.

"Ow! Thirty-five. Relax, would you?" He shouted.

Cas felt her brow raise, "thirty-five? That's it?"

Nick gave the girl a baffled look. She was either implying that he looked much older, or that the age difference wasn't that big.

"How old are you guys anyways?" He asked curiously.

"Eighteen."

Nick felt his jaw drop, "eighteen? That's barely legal!"

"You're worried about the law?" the younger girl questioned in amazement. "In case you haven't realized, it's a freakin' zombie apocalypse! One—the law doesn't matter—and two—any of us could die in the blink of an eye!"

The man took her outburst in and chewed on the thought. In reality, age had never mattered to him. This whole thing was a cover up of sorts. It had always been his style for the girl to chase him, not the other way around.

"I don't need to be scolded by an eighteen year old," Nick muttered as he stood up.

"You've got to be kidding!" She called back at him, rising to her feet. "You're so stubborn!"

He spun around at the word and moved so the girl had to look up at him. Neither moved their concentrated gazes. The unofficial glaring war was now in progress.

"Guys, let's not get into a huge fight about it," Rochelle suggested warily.

Before either of them could respond, Nick turned away hurriedly, not allowing the girl to see him blink. "Who cares about age, huh? It's not like she'd be okay with it anyway," he muttered so only Cas could hear.

With that said, he turned and started a quick walk towards the cabins entrance. Cas watched as he retreated, then collapsed to the floor. If he'd just talk to her... she thought with a sigh.

"What's up with Nick?" Coach asked as he popped his head out of the cabins.

Cas lazily waved her hand in an uncaring manner. She wasn't in the mood anymore.

"Well?"

Rochelle just shrugged, leaving the answer to the man's imagination.

"Hey Coach? Do yew have a minute?" Ellis called.

The boy had been so quiet, Cas had completely forgotten he was on the deck with her. He was usually telling her a story or two by now. She couldn't help but be a bit concerned.

"What's on your mind, boy?"

The older man sat down beside him, an interested look on his face.

"It's just... well, I was wonderin'... Uhh." He couldn't seem to get the words out of his mouth.

Coach just chuckled light heartedly and brought himself closer to the boy.

"Is it about the girl?" He asked quietly.

Ellis just about jumped up from where he was sitting. "Yeah! How'd yew know, Coach?" A blush passed over his cheeks as the girl in question looked over in his direction.

"It's not too hard to figure out," Coach replied with a laugh.

Ellis turned back to the man with a pleading look. "What do I do, Coach? I haven't talked to 'er norm'lly since- well, yew know."

Coach looked rather amused, given the circumstances. "She didn't seem to mind it at all, Boy. Why don't you just talk to her?"

The suggestion seemed simple enough. Hell, Ellis liked it.

"Alright! I'll do it," he announced.

With an amused sigh, Coach stood up and walked back to the cabins, pausing at the door. "Rochelle, can you give me a hand?"

She gave a quick nod then made her way over to join him, leaving only Ellis and Cas behind.

"Hey," Ellis greeted meekly as he sat down beside the remaining girl.

Giving him her attention, she smiled, her eyes moving to his shoulder.

"How's the arm?" she asked.

The boy's face paled, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean ta!"

Cas didn't know how to react to his sudden outburst. It didn't make one lick of sense, unless he was referring to... her face flushed as she turned away from him.

"It wasn't your fault," she reassured, "and I never said I didn't like it..."

Her voice had gotten so quiet at the end that Ellis had to lean forward to hear.

"Yew mean it? Really?" He asked in awe. "Cuz I 'member this one time my buddy Keith went an' kissed this girl he liked an' she was all mad an' stuff."

Cas couldn't help but chuckle. Finally things were back to normal between her an Ellis, but maybe, just maybe, she could make a change for the better.

"How's your shoulder?" she tried again.

He had a moment of realization, then lifted his arm triumphantly. "Pretty darn good. Sophie is one hell of a medic."

Cas nodded and smiled at his enthusiasm, only then noticing the multicoloured bruise under his sleeve. To get a closer look, she inched forward and lifted his sleeve slightly.

"Looks painful," she stated after a low whistle.

He didn't give her an answer, forcing her to turn her head towards his, instantly stopping her movement. Now that she had noticed, there was only a small gap between the two. And it was slowly starting to close.

"Guys!"

Like a cat and dog, the two separated in an instant, making sure to keep a good meter from each other. Luckily they hadn't made it to the deck yet.

"What's up?" Cas asked shakily.

The rest of the group followed Coach up the stairs, where the other two were sitting. When Sophie saw the looks on the two of them, she sent Cas a knowing smirk. It only furthered her blush.

"Virgil says we're runnin' low on gas so we're going to have to go on shore and pick some up," Coach explained.

The two nodded. Any opportunity they had was now lost.

The group collected all their things as the boat neared the shore. From a distance, they could see the sign of a Burger Tank building. Coach's stomach growled on cue.

"I could sure use a burger," he commented keenly.

The group nodded simultaneously in agreement. Hopefully that wasn't the only good thing that would happen on this side trip. Cas had a good feeling it wouldn't be.

* * *

**Footnote**: And thus we have Hard Rain. Wooo! The next chapter should be rather... interesting btw. Well, at least I find it to be ;P


	13. Cries in the Night

**Author's Note: **So, like I said, this one will be interesting (for lack of better words), cuz this one has a lime(?) I think thats what they're refered to as... Nothing explicit, but I figured I'd warn ya.

Disclaimer

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

Unfortunately Ellis and Nick are too.

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -13- Cries in the Night

* * *

Climbing off the boat behind the Burger Tank, the team walked forward. Seeing available melee weapons, everyone chose their preferred killing item.

"What are we supposed to signal him with?" asked Nick.

"Oh," said Ellis, "there's flares in the gun bag."

A few of them turned to look at Ellis, confused.

"What gun bag?" asked Nick.

"Yew didn't grab the guns?"

"ME? Who died and made me gun monitor?"

"Pretty much ev'ry body."

Sophie shook her head, feeling a sense of impending doom in the pit of her stomach. This was going to be harder than just crossing the street.

"Anyone wanna hear a prediction?" she asked, aloof.

They stayed quiet.

"There's not going to be any gas. Watch."

* * *

Hopping fences, going through backyards and other peoples houses generated mixed reactions from the group. Sophie and Nick were morally skewed, Cas and Ellis did this stuff for fun, but Coach and Rochelle trudged forward only with the knowledge of gas.

Standing in-front of the sugar mill discouraged them all. The distant sound of witches taunted the group. Getting in was no feat, the zombies were easily dealt with because of a few sniper rifles in good hands, but those witches…

"I'll give those bitches something to cry about," grumbled Sophie. Not being a softy herself, it tended to make her uncomfortable when other people cried.

Coach nodded in agreement. "All these pale-assed crazy ladies are gettin' on my last nerve."

Dancing around witches wasn't easy with other infected running around. When they finally fought off the hoard alerted by the elevator, they stood by the cane field.

"So, if anyone startles a witch, I'm running the other way," Cas stated.

"Amen," said Sophie.

The group ran through the field, only once or twice almost running into one of the crying girls. After that, it was easy to find the safe room in the establishment by the gas station. Collapsing inside, they all let out contained laughter and whoops of delight. It didn't take them long to restock and throw a can of gas on each of their backs.

"Alright," Coach addressed, "everyone got a can?"

Nodding, the door was opened and they were faced with the torrential downpour just outside. Trudging through the cane field was easier than before, on the count of there were no witches running around.

When the group got through the main building, another sheet of rain hit the group full force.

"Shit!" screamed Sophie, "Stick toge—" she was cut off mid-word by a charger who swooped the girl away from the rest of the group.

"Sophie!" shouted Cas in surprise. Attempting to chase after her friend, she became lost in the mist.

Through an unfortunate series of events, the group had been shepharded apart and through the mill into different places. Cas found herself half-way across the mill in a room full of lockers. Someone would find her here, she told herself…eventually.

* * *

Sophie was defending herself in the small bathroom of the trailer outside of the main building. She nearly shot Nick when he jumped through the hole in the roof.

"Christ on a cracker, Nick!" she shouted. "I nearly shot you! What the fuck, man?"

"Pipe down," he said, brushing past her into the dry room.

She shut the door behind him, sheltering them from the sheet of rain that had just started up again.

"Did you see anyone else?" she asked.

"If I did, would I be alone?"

She pursed her lips. "Fair enough."

He deliberately looked away from her, wringing out his jacket in a feeble attempt to dry out. His blue shirt clung to his chest, making it painfully obvious for Sophie the confined space they shared. She wasn't quite aware that he noticed her clothes clinging to her in the same way.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Hmm?"

"You would have normally said something snarky or uncalled for by now. What's going on?"

He stared at her. If only she knew, if only he could just…ah, what the hell. As Cas said, he was probably going to die anyway.

Without warning, his intense stare left her as he captured her lips with his own. Startled for only a moment, Sophie immediately responded to the invitation. His hands trailed up her sides as she ran hers through his wet hair. Pulling away for air, she locked eyes with him.

"Oh," she said simply, sporting a smirk.

"Oh," he said back, offering his own.

* * *

The door to the room Cas was in burst open with a loud noise. She let out a clipped shriek, quickly realizing who it was that just burst through the door.

"Ellis!" she cried, jumping up so fast she almost fell again.

"Cas!"

The two embraced each other tightly in a hug. Ellis quickly shut the door behind him, ushering her back to the corner she was sitting in before. Still holding each other, their trembling subsided as warmth was shared between them.

"We'll jus' wait here fer them," Ellis soothed, answering the question that had been on the tip of Cas' tongue. She looked up at him from her spot on his shoulder.

"What are we gonna do until they find us?"

Ellis thought for a few seconds, debating in his thoughts before smirking down at her. "I c'n think of a few thangs…"

His face lowered to hers at an unyieldingly slow pace. Her eyes closed, leaning forward shyly. When their mouths collided it had been nothing like the other had ever experienced before. Innocent kisses elongated and became a little more passionate. Their lips massaged each other in a dance. Ellis' tongue lightly grazed her bottom lip and Cas slightly parted hers for entrance. Their tongues entered into the moment with fluidity, followed by small, uncertain movements.

First, her hands trailed up his back, letting out small noises of pleasure whenever he did something right…whenever he did anything, actually. His hands at first uncertainly traced up and down her sides, gaining more confidence when she let out a few rather agreeable sounds.

His hands trailed down to the bottom of her shirt, placing one hand beneath and trailing up along her stomach. By now, she was straddling his lap to get a better angle in the action. Her surprised gasp spurred Ellis along further, giving him just enough confidence to cup her breast in his hand.

Cas allowed herself to say his name in whatever little voice she had left. She practically whispered it into his ear, setting him off, making his actions more frenzied and wild. Not quite knowing this dance, Cas went along with his movements, keeping in time with him as things got hotter.

She knocked the hat off his head in an attempt to pull his shirt off. Hers was already half way across the room, lost to a puddle of growing size. Their lips still locked, Ellis made quick work of the clasps on the last article of clothing covering her torso.

She gasped as he played with her chest, removing his mouth from hers to pay attention to her soft breasts. Shifting, she could feel his arousal through his jeans. She knew exactly what was coming.

Oddly enough, she couldn't care less.

* * *

Nick and Sophie were pulled apart by their discovery by Coach and Rochelle. Clothes hadn't started coming off yet in their situation—both had savouring tastes.

The two were slightly put off by being caught, and Coach and Rochelle were slightly on edge from finding the two lovers playing tonsil-hockey in the middle of a storm.

"Alright," Sophie sighed, "let's find the other two."

* * *

Of course, when they finally fought through the hoard and the storm to the room the two resided in, they were fully dressed and cuddled together. The smell in the air and the rumpled state of appearance didn't go fully unnoticed.

As they raced through the rest of the mill Sophie caught up with Cas.

"So," she said conversationally, "was he any good?"

* * *

**FootNote: **Is it just me or are the reviews being boycotted again? :P How 'bout the next bribery will be... if this chapter gets, let's say 5, reviews by tomorrow, I'll post the next chapter early (tomorrow). ^^ Sounds good?


	14. Burger Tank

**Author's Note:** Woot! Bribery works XP Thanks everyone for letting us know you're out there! You didn't have to stop at five though... just saying :P

Disclaimer

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

Unfortunately Ellis and Nick are too.

**

* * *

**It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -14- Burger Tank

* * *

Cas bit her lip to hide the grin as she glanced over at the boy, rather, man beside her. He certainly had proved himself. She resisted the urge to just blurt out everything to her friend. Sophie had obviously noticed what had gone on and Cas didn't doubt it in the least.

"So?" Sophie asked, her brow raised teasingly.

Cas fidgeted uneasily, "he was, uhh, good."

Her answer came off more as a question. Sophie just chuckled and continued walking. The group had a ways to go to get back to the boat, especially with the added trouble of the flash downpours. The only shelter they had were the limited safe rooms and the slowly deteriorating buildings.

"Why don't we just wait out the storm here?" Nick questioned as they entered the safe room.

Coach sighed and closed the door. "Because we're all wet and'll catch a cold."

The group had made it to an average looking house that had been boarded off and barricaded. They even had access to other rooms in the house, which made it even more inviting.

"We could just dry off," Ellis piped in.

Coach just shook his head.

"But uh, we could use some rest," the boy added.

The persistent look on Coach's face didn't falter. "We can rest on the boat. It's not that far away."

"We've gotten injured though, Coach," Nick excused.

"And since when did you start caring about others?" The older man enquired.

He fully knew the answer to that particular question and why the two were so determined. He was, after all, a high school teacher, so he knew the game that the boys were playing. Plus the fact that he himself had been young at one point and knew exactly what was going through their heads... both of them.

"Sorry boys, but we gotta keep moving," he stated.

Looking for backup, Nick and Ellis turned towards the girls off to the side. Both of their faces were now a bright red.

"I wouldn't mind waiting here," Sophie stated.

Their attentions were then turned to Cas. She opened her mouth to respond, but changed her mind as Ellis gave her a pleading look.

With a groan, Coach marched to the opposite door. There was no way he was going to stay here with them and be forced to listen to that.

"Coach, where are you going?" Rochelle asked worriedly.

He didn't turn around as he opened the door. "Headin' back to Virgil. Ain't in the mood to be sittin' round."

With that, he passed through the door, making sure to close it behind him. Rochelle was quick to follow. She wasn't sure what all the commotion was about, but she figured staying with Coach was her best bet.

Out of the remaining four, Cas was the only one who wasn't pleased about the duos departure. As much as she enjoyed her previous encounter with the hick, she wasn't in the mood anymore, especially since Coach and Rochelle could be in potential danger.

Without a word, she turned and made her way to the door.

"C-Cas, where're yew goin'?" Ellis asked. He quickly followed after her. "Wait up!"

The last two sent a look at each other. They both wanted to stay, but under the circumstances, it wasn't possible.

"Looks like Coach couldn't wait for the Burger Tank," Nick muttered in annoyance.

Sophie glanced at the man beside her, "ruined the party for the rest of us."

* * *

The team was soon assembled once more in the pouring rain. Coach had been right about the boat being close. It would take them a matter of minutes to reach it... if it wasn't for a certain crying infected.

"Rochelle that ain't you crying right?" Coach asked doubtfully.

The woman in question shook her head as she reached to turn off her flashlight. If it would solve their problem, she would gladly cry in her place. It would've made things easier for the group.

"I'll give her something to-"

Sophie's sentence was suddenly cut off as a micro infected jumped her from the side and started leading her away from the group.

"Kill this thing, will you?" She shouted out angrily.

The group chased after her, not wanting to risk shooting her by accident. That's the last thing that they needed. That and running straight into a witch.

"Don't let it-" Cas started, but the witch had already risen to her feet.

As a last resort, the team sent a careful spray of bullets at the jockey, freeing the small blonde. Their next issue was the groaning witch behind her.

There was no way for the girl to get away unnoticed, they all knew it.

"Soph, run!" Cas called out.

By that time, it was too late. The infected was already charging towards Sophie, whom was now defenseless.

There was a small grunt from Nick as he ran forward and shoved the girl out of the way. A wave of blood gushed from the man's chest as the infected claws sliced through his skin. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to jump in front of the crazed woman, but it didn't matter anymore. She had won.

"Nick!"

A wall of bullets landed on the shrieking witch as she continued to claw at the incapacitated survivor. Finally, it fell to the ground with one last cry. Sophie was the first to his side, placing two fingers on his neck. The results were less than pleasing.

"You fucking idiot," she grumbled.

"He can't be..." Cas added in denial.

Unfortunately for the survivors, Sophie's observations were indeed correct. His pulse had ceased.

"Try this!" Coach called out as he ran over to the fallen survivor.

He held out a small box to Sophie. Once she recognized it, a determined look fixated itself onto her face.

"What is it?" Cas asked.

Sophie had already ripped open Nick's torn shirt and set up the paddles from Coach's gift.

"It's a de-fib. Now shut up," the girl answered.

Cas backed up to give her friend some room. It was evident that she needed to concentrate.

* * *

"Ahh! Quit shocking me, will ya?"

Nick's voice brought relief to the other survivors. Everyone found it impossible to fold back the smile from their faces; everyone but Sophie. As soon as the conman sat up, she planted a solid fist across his face, knocking him back to the ground.

"What the hell was going through your head when you did that?" She demanded. "Oh, right, I remember. Nothing!"

Nick's jaw dropped. He had just died and she wasn't even sad about it. Not one tear—not a single tear. He was surprised, to say the least.

* * *

After getting him onto his feet, and his chest wrapped to the best of their ability at the time, they trudged on. It was a smooth walk the rest of the way. The majority of the remaining witches were wandering around, making them rather easy to avoid. The heavy rain had also had a factor on the special infected. After the jockey, they hadn't seen any more of them.

"Okay, let's fire this baby up!" Coach proclaimed.

The survivors entered the building and stocked up on ammo and the few health items scattered around. Finally, they headed to the roof and lit the large sign above them.

As expected, the roar of a horde filled the ears of the six survivors. It was soon followed by the growls of a tank and certain special infected. It was as if the zombies knew they were trying to signal for rescue.

Despite the unfair advantage, the group hacked and slashed away the number of infected around them. All they needed was to buy time for Virgil to see the signal and come to the rescue. For a moment, the groans of zombies died down. They were quickly replaced by the thunderous footsteps of a tank.

"Run!" Sophie instructed.

"But-"

"Just run!"

With no other choice, the survivors dashed to the backside of the roof and climbed down the ladder. The ground shook with every step on the oncoming tank, fueling their need to push forward.

"There he is! It worked!" Ellis called out ecstatically.

Even before they were all on board, Virgil started to move the boat away, forcing the last of the group to jump to safety. Once again they were safe, and once again they would have to leave.

But just for now, they could relax.

* * *

**FootNote**: Yay, Hard Rain's over! Now, onto the Parish! Dun Dun Duuuuun!


	15. Crack the Whip

**Author's Note:** Weeeell, not exactly in the Parish yet, but it'll still be a good time :P Thanks everyone for your continued support ^^

Disclaimer

Lef4 Dead is property of Valve.

Unfortunately Ellis and Nick are too.

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -15- Crack the Whip

* * *

"We can just lie here for a bit," suggested Rochelle.

The six were sprawled out across the boat deck in all different directions. Rochelle's suggestion seemed tempting to them all at the moment, even though it was still raining. Sophie was the first to sit up.

"I'm going to get dry, steal some of Virgil's clothing, and go to bed," Sophie announced, hauling herself to her feet and walking off. Nicks gaze followed her as she left. Coach noticed and groaned.

"Follow her," he demanded.

No complaints came from the conman, following Coaches orders by following Sophie. He found her already in a baggy shirt and shorts, sitting at the edge of a cot, holding her head in her hands. Not quite knowing how to react to the situation, he sat down beside her.

"Why would you go and _do_ something like that?" she asked.

Nick knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Heh, I saved you and I don't even get a 'thanks'?"

"What you did was stupid, Nick," she growled, finally looking at him. "You _died, _and if Coach didn't have that de-fib unit with him, you would have _stayed _that way."

He looked at her incredulously, "You would have rather died?"

"YES!" She rose to her feet and stared him down. "Do you know how _terrible _it was to see you like that?"

He rose as well, "Why do you care so much?"

"Why do YOU?"

By now, they stood right in front of each other, facing off. Although Nick towered over her in height, as she had always been a small girl, she held an air of authority. Her index finger jabbed into his chest with his hand firmly grasping her wrist.

She saw his eyes soften and his grip on her wrist loosened. She let her hand go limp and she looked to the ground.

"Because," Nick said in almost a whisper.

"Oh," she said softly.

"Oh," he said back, tilting her chin up so he could look at her.

Kissing wasn't the only thing happening after that.

* * *

"Got any fours?"

"Go fish."

The other four were stuck in the lounge-like cabin next door. Although the lovers were trying to keep quiet, the occasional gasp or crash could be heard from the other room. Ellis and Cas were trying to hide their faces from everyone else, fully thinking about the other.

In the mean time, the four had found a deck of cards.

So far, they had been through several rounds of go-fish, slap Jack, and had even tried to teach the girls to play poker (with few results).

It took them a while to realize the noise had ceased when it had. In an act of bravery, Coach poked his head in, only to find the two humbly asleep, curled next to each other, and covered with a blanket.

He pulled his head out. "I don't know about ya'll, but I'm taking one of them cots out here and getting me some sleep."

Rochelle nodded enthusiastically, standing to join the older man in retrieving a cot. Cas and Ellis shyly looked at one another before Cas got up and walked into the room. She found no need to go out and join Rochelle and Coach. If the other two were already asleep, she reasoned, then she was pretty sure they wouldn't rise until everyone else did.

Unfolding the last cot, she pulled out a warm blanket, allowing Ellis to lie down before she draped it over the two of them.

Automatically his arm was over her waist, pulling her closer. She rested her head on his shoulder, listening to him breathe. Minutes of silence passed between the two.

"I been thinkin," said Ellis, breaking the silence, "now, I've just been thinkin', I like yew a lot, Cas, and, well…" he trailed off. "I know it's a lil' late to take it slow but," he shifted so his forehead was pressed against hers. "Maybe when we get out'a here we could, yew know, go out some time."

The girl almost burst out laughing at the sheer randomness of it! How did he even know they would make it out alive? Still, the sweetness of his suggestion caused her to grin widely. She nodded, not trusting her voice. She liked him a lot too—a whole lot. At first she was scared that they wouldn't see each other after the crisis.

Now she was only scared they wouldn't get out of it.

* * *

The six lounged on the boat deck. While they slept, the boat made it out of the rain, and now the Southern sun beat down on them with a vengeance. It was far too hot to stay in the cabin, as much as Sophie would have liked too. Each member took on a task or two to keep themselves entertained. Guns were cleaned thoroughly, wounds were checked and treated with patience and expert skill, and they themselves were somewhat cleaned.

Each took their turn jumping into the river with a spotter and a rope to scrub the grime off them, and then each were checked by Sophie who skilfully cleaned and dressed their injuries. Cas was thrilled to hear her fist major injury wouldn't even have to be looked at by a physician. Aside from a few scrapes and muscle tension, the only one with any wound in need of treatment was Nick.

He was told to lay down as her hands trailed over the long lacerations made by the witch. A few of them opened back up due to the previous nights activities.

"If you had just stayed out of that witches path, I wouldn't have to sew you up in several places."

Nick laughed, "I thought we already went over this."

Without looking at him she replied, "We did. And just look at what our discussion did to your wounds."

He didn't argue. He wouldn't. She was right, he believed it, and yet still, for some reason, his pride lay intact.

Until Rochelle spoke.

"Whipped," she sang as she walked passed them.

Sophie tried to hide her smirk, and Cas wasn't doing such a good job of it. Coach just gave up the fight altogether and vocalized how humorous he found the situation. She patted his shoulder.

"It's alright to be whipped, Nick," she paused for a moment, grinning, "just so long as you don't mind a few chains."

He rolled his eyes at the innuendo. Last night he saw just how creative the young lady could be in bed. He was not disappointed.

"Seriously though," she smoothed out the last stitch, "what happens if we get out of this mess?"

He thought about it; he had been thinking about it since last night. He didn't want to let her go, even though in all reality it was doomed to fail. He tried reasoning to himself that she deserved better, but every time he envisioned her with someone else a deep rage boiled up inside of him.

"In case you haven't noticed," he said, playing it off cool, "I've marked you. That means you're mine. Forever."

She looked at him from her position. She was nearly shocked to see that he meant every word. She shrugged.

"Okay."

* * *

When they were close enough, Virgil made sure they knew he was about to drop them off. If all went well, this would be the last time they were getting rescued. The captain pulled over to the docks and allowed the passengers out.

"This is as far as Virgil'll take ye, but you can make it to the bridge from here."

"Thanks Virgil. You stay safe, brother."

They organized themselves, handing out health packs, guns, and melee weapons. Cocking his gun, Ellis looked back at his group.

"Let's go."

* * *

**Footnote: **_Now _we're at the Parish. Yayy! Keep up the reviews and I'll probably offer another next day update ^^


	16. Eat your Brains

**Author's Note:** Alright, maybe it's just me, but I think I wrote this chapter a bit choppy. And since Sophie wrote the next part better, I'll offer another bribery deal in the foot note :D

Disclaimer

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

Unfortunately Ellis and Nick are too.

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -16- Eat Your Brains

* * *

"Think the rescue team is still in the area?" Cas asked.

The group continued through the streets of New Orleans, picking off an infected here and there. Coach was the only one to offer the girl an answer.

"We won't know 'till we get there."

Cas felt her brow furrow. It wasn't much of an answer, but it was safe one. It prevented the group from misplaced hope, yet at the same time it gave them the hope to push them further. No one was certain if they'd make it out of there alive. Technically, they already had a casualty. Who was to say that it couldn't happen again?

"Don't worry, I'm sure they're waitin' for more survivors," Ellis reassured.

He squeezed the girls hand comfortingly. It was quite evident that she was staring to doubt their survival—no one could deny that the thought had crossed their minds.

"_No way_! There's a jukebox in there!" Ellis called out excitedly.

He kept his grip on Cas' arm, pulling her along as he ran ahead into the deserted café.

"Pick a song," he instructed eagerly.

With a laugh, she scanned over the rows of songs. Of course none of them were really her taste in music, but there was one that caught her eye. She was certain Sophie would find it amusing as well.

"'Re-yew're brains'...?" The hick questioned, "well, all'right."

After searching his pockets briefly for a coin, he popped it in and selected the song. The jukebox filled the building with a calm tune. It wasn't exactly what the girl had in mind... until the lyrics kicked in.

She and her friend burst out into a fit of laughter. It was the perfect song for a zombie apocalypse.

"Who in their right mind would write a song about turning into a zombie?" Nick questioned.

Coach just shrugged and leaned against one of the tables. It was nice that they could take a small breather, but it was short lived as the chorus played. At the line, 'all we wanna do is eat your brains', the moans of infected filled the survivors ears. The irony was too perfect.

"How did I know nothing good would come out of it?" Nick shouted out as the horde ran at the group. "Overalls, be thankful we haven't found a leash."

"Come'on, Nick. It's not like I tried to," Ellis defended as he swung a crowbar at an infected's head.

Seeing as the music continued to draw in zombies, the group ploughed their way through the mass of undead. Once they were away from the building, the zombies stopped their attack on the group, still being attracted to the music.

"See, they're go'in to the music over there," Ellis stated matter-of-factly.

Nick ignored the boys comment, keeping the group moving forward. If his calculations were correct—and of course they were—they should be in relative distance to a safe room.

"Just a little farther y'all," Coach informed.

Once exiting the small restaurant, the red safe room doors were quite evident across the street.

"Careful, this car has an alarm," Rochelle pointed out.

Being cautious of the alarm, the survivors moved around the car and made a quick sprint to the safe room.

"Aww yeah! We are kings of the world!" Ellis announced happily.

* * *

An hour passed by before the group decided to move on—they were all still fresh and well rested anyway.

"I spy with my lil' eye, something that is..." The hick looked around the open garden, then turned back to the girl beside him. "...red."

Cas turned her attention to the shirt she was wearing, then glanced around the area. He had picked a quite evident choice.

"Unless you're referring to the blood stains all over the place, I'm going to say it's Cas' shirt," Sophie answered bluntly, "now can we stop this game?"

Ellis pouted slightly and adjusted his hat. It wasn't like they had anything else to occupy themselves with.

Continuing on the path, the survivors found themselves staring up and a life sized statue of a horse. Only one of them could fully appreciate the art.

"Man, I wish we had a horse right now. I loooove horses," Ellis commented with a grin.

"Ever eaten horse?" Nick asked, "it's tasty."

The boy's lips pulled into a frown, "horses are for ridin', not eatin', Nick."

"Right, right. Must have slipped my mind," the older man replied.

Seeing as Ellis wasn't going to move, Nick headed towards the park's exit. The rest of the survivors followed behind him, Ellis being the last.

"Man, I ever tell yew 'bout the time me and my buddy Keith went horse back ridin'? Keith got thrown off 'is horse like a rag doll. He couldn' get outta bed for a month!" Ellis explained.

Cas laughed at his story and the over exaggerated actions he used. Leave it to him to pick up the mood. Well, it was a form of entertainment for Cas at least. The others had different reactions to his stories. He didn't mind the instant shut down he received on several occasions, but now that he had someone who'd listen, he was as happy as could be.

"Pick up the pace, you two," Coach bellowed.

After exchanging a grin, the two ran ahead, Cas stopping beside Sophie.

"So, I never asked how your rest was earlier," she asked quietly. "I mean, I have a good idea how it went but..."

She couldn't help the smirk on her lips. Now that she wasn't the one in question, she realized how fun it was.

"Well, I wouldn't necessarily say you have a good idea of it," her friend answered teasingly, "the older they are, the more... enjoyable the experience is."

"How so...?" Cas asked curiously.

The blonde chuckled at her inquisitiveness. There were many factors to take into consideration, but she wasn't going to go on and on to her rather innocent friend.

"You'll find out on your own eventually," she replied simply.

Cas' expression fell, "just tell meeeee."

"Nah."

Without another word, Sophie marched forward, taking the lead beside Coach. Cas felt her lip twitch slightly. It was expected of the blonde to give an indirect answer, but this time it could barely be counted as vague.

Before she could even think about complaining, the ground shook violently, and the inhuman sounds of a tank filled the area.

"Shoot the shit out of that thing!" Rochelle shouted out over the commotion.

Staying in the open area, the survivors started a retreat as they emptied their weapons on the giant infected. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough and they found themselves with empty weapons and an aggravated colossus in front of them.

"Run!" Coach bellowed.

The group did just that, splitting back into their unofficial pairs. The tank stayed after Coach and Rochelle. They had been the closest after all. The other pairs paused to reload their weapons as fast as possible. Nick was first to get the clip of his assault rifle into place. He quickly dashed after the large infected, soon followed by Sophie, then the last two.

Before long, the survivors had the tank on its last legs, watching as it collapsed to the ground. Coach felt the need to drop to the ground as well, but he spotted a small trailer-like compartment ahead. Seeing the opportunity to rest, he led the others to the trailer and entered quickly.

"Think we can rest for a second?" the man asked as Nick closed the door behind them.

All the survivors were in a similar condition as Coach. They all nodded in agreement and dropped to the floor.

From across the room, Ellis spotted a warning beside the door.

"Warning: alarm will sound if door is opened upon clearance from tower," he read out loud.

The group groaned in unison. Looks like they'd need the rest after all.

* * *

**Footnote: **Mk! Maybe I could think of a better bribe, but we wanna hear more of what you guys think and you guys want updates. So this time, I'm lookin' for ten reviews. So let us know what you guys think ^^


	17. Violence in Silence

**Author's Note:** So, I was thinking about it, and Kyrsea-The Horror Movie Lover had a good point about Nick and Soph. I was gonna wait to tell you guys this, but unfortunately, this series is coming to an end soon. BUT! We have much, much more planned. In such planning, I'll suggest to Sophie that we should add in a lil scene to keep the Nick fans happy. You'll just have to wait a bit for it :P

Disclaimer

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

Unfortunately, Ellis and Nick are too.

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -17- Violence in Silence

* * *

They napped uncomfortably for a few hours. The group tried to regain strength for the upcoming battle. Looking out the window, Cas placed a bet that the off button was atop the rickety scaffolding. Gathering themselves was a necessary chore if they wanted to get saved. Coach was the first to stand.

"Come on ya'll. The faster we do this, the faster it gets done."

Sophie stood second, "I'll cheers to that."

The rest followed suit, standing and steeling themselves for the events to come. As soon as the door was pushed open the six ran at top speed, sprinting for the tall structure. Seeing the chain link fence gave Sophie an idea.

"Someone follow me!" she demanded, running at top speed for the fence that separated them from their destination. Without much thought, Cas ran after her, having a pretty good idea of what she was doing. The small girl flung herself at the fence, using the holes for grips, climbing over it like she was one of the infected. Cas followed to the best of her ability. By now, zombies surrounded the rest of the group as they struggled to get around the metal obstacle.

Sophie and Cas scrambled up the ladder and pressed the off button with a frenzied force. The two grinned at each other in congratulations before a tongue wrapped around Cas' mid section and started dragging her away. It took Sophie too long to react; Cas was already down to the other side of the scaffolding, losing air and circulation. As fast as she could, she raised her sniper rifle and put one through the smokers head.

Rushing over to make sure the other girl was alright, several common infected came up from behind her, slowing her progress. The others were still down below, fighting off other infected. With no other way to fully defend the gasping girl, Sophie used as much of herself as she could to shield the other girl while she got a grip of herself.

* * *

The six sat in the bus station.

"Well," said Rochelle, "it could have been worse."

No one even wanted to argue with her statement. As beaten up as everyone felt, they were all still alive.

Making it through the bus station was comparatively easier, with only a few mishaps with uncommon infected. The incidents never lasted long; the team had gotten uncannily good.

* * *

Things had been going well until they found the sewer hole.

"Man, Nick," Coach whistled, "You picked a bad day to wear a white suit."

"Tell me about it," the conman replied.

Everyone else grimaced looking into the hole. As soon as they trudged through the sludge, a trail of bodies led them to a ladder.

"Well," said Cas, "at least it can't get any worse than this."

As soon as she climbed up a deadpan settled onto her face.

"I take it back."

A sea of alarmed cars stood before them, blinking tauntingly at them. The best tactic for this, they found, was to have the zombies come to them. When most of them were cleared, the group climbed only on the older vehicles, and used only their melee weapons.

"You know what would suck right now?" asked the hick before answering his own question. "A tank."

They all sincerely hoped there would not be a tank.

* * *

Getting onto the bridge Sophie let out a whoop of joy. "What do you know? We actually made it without tripping any alarms. I have to say, I'm finding myself very fond of you all."

Then the jet blew up the bridge.

"OH, COME ON!" Yelled Nick.

Cas deadpanned again.

Upon reaching the blown away end if the bridge, the group found themselves looking down at a cemetery.

"Oh man," said Ellis, "I hope we don't see no ghosts."

Nick looked incredulously at his team mate. "Ellis, you're carrying, like, ten different guns."

"You can't shoot a ghost, Nick. I mean, shit, it ain't rocket science."

Sophie would have found this exchange particularly amusing had she not been distracted by the grave yard. Among other inherited talents, Sophie could sense ghosts. And whereas there would normally be a good amount of activity in a place like this, this particular sight was completely empty.

Only animated bodies were left here.

Cas was the first to notice her friends change in behaviour. "You okay?"

Sophie frowned. "It's just…empty."

Cas also frowned, knowing what the girl was talking about. The fact just spurred her further to get out of the maze as fast as possible. Little difficulty was involved. The team used combined skills to determine the best way to go; most of the time they were right.

The only further disturbance was from a witch planted in the middle of the road. Carefully avoided, the group got into the safe room mostly unscathed. Deciding not to stay long, they replenished their supplies and cleared the small court yard.

That's when the real bombing began.

"Something tells me they stopped checking for survivors…" Rochelle trailed off.

Marching up and down the streets, through and around town houses, getting barfed at, charged at, jumped on, and pulled apart was not the general consensus of 'fun.'

When they passed through a restaurant establishment, Sophie couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. It looked like such an awesome place to hang out. Diner downstairs, pool tables upstairs; it looked like your typical smoky bar scene. She wondered in passing if it would ever open up again.

Arriving at a carnival float, the group didn't quite know what to say.

"It's the only way 'cross," reasoned Ellis.

"Fine," agreed Coach. "I'll start the float; ya'll wait for me up these stairs here."

As soon as the jovial music started playing, Coach ran for the rest of his team. Compared to turning off the previous alarm, this task had been a cinch. They had the perfect vantage point and were all together. Special infected couldn't even get near them.

It had been so easy, that they almost found themselves enjoying the bit if celebratory music playing in the background. It wasn't as cool as the Midnight Riders' finale, but it was still fairly entertaining. After walking across the board, the six ran through the house and out onto the streets once more.

Peering into all the houses down the lane, they eventually found one house without a dead end. Of course, they would have to jump off a roof to get down to their destination.

Sophie jumped down first, and in a joke called up, "Come on, Nick! Jump down! I'll catch you!"

Everyone but Nick found the comment amusing. He jumped off the roof away from the mocking girl. She walked to him and threw her arms around him as though he had landed there the entire time.

"What a catch," she said with a laugh in her eyes.

The rest of the group managed to get down, which led them to a parking lot full of zombies. Rochelle was the first to spot their destination.

"There's the bridge. You sure they're going to be there?"

"What else can we do?" asked Cas.

"Nothing. Let's just get there already," dismissed Coach.

Finding the safe room was easy. Getting to the safe room was easy.

The next part would not be easy.

* * *

**FootNote: **Oh boy, oh boy, looks like a finale to me.


	18. Bridge Burner

**Author's Note:** Just a few more to go... Stick with us ^^

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -18- Bridge Burner

* * *

Cas was the first up out of the group with a bit of effort; she was able to wriggle away from Ellis and make her way down the ladder. She needed a bit of alone time—time were she could think about what was going to happen. Keeping unbiased, they could either make it across the bridge and find rescue, or they could get across just to be greeted by an empty area. Then there was the chance of not making it at all.

"What're yew doin' down here?"

The girls body flinched and her head snapped up towards the boy crouching in front of her. She was so distracted she hadn't even heard him.

"I'm just... worried," she answered weakly. "What if there's no helicopter?"

"Then we keep movin'till we find one," he replied simply. "As long as we have the group, we'll be fine."

Cas nodded slowly, trying to make herself believe what she was being told. Though, she also had an issue with running across the bridge.

"I don't know if I can run all that way," she stated stubbornly.

Ellis raised his eyebrow questioningly, "yew're endurance is'okay."

It took a second for his statement to sink in fully. When it did, Cas burst out laughing, partially to hide the embarrassment.

"That has nothing to do with running," she corrected.

"Oh." Ellis' cheeks reddened; at least she knew what was on his mind.

Before he could say anything else, she closed the gap between them, silencing him indefinitely.

* * *

Back upstairs, the remaining survivors started to stir. Coach and Rochelle decided to head out onto the bridge for some sort of communication while Nick and Sophie opted to stay inside. If anyone asked later on, they were still sleeping.

Beside a dead body, the first pair found a radio. Unfortunately, it wasn't working.

"Are you kidding me?" Coach shouted, "we fought through thousands of zombies and the radio isn't working?"

"The radio's not working? What are we going to do?" Rochelle questioned in a frenzied panic.

Sophie grumbled in discontent. "That makes me want to shove a pipe bomb down my throat and have it explode."

Nick looked over at her with an amused gaze. "I can think of something to the same effect."

"In your dreams," Sophie replied, her cheeks tainted red.

A silence quickly lapsed over the couple as they sat by each other. Both were struggling with an emotion attempting to bubble to the surface. It didn't take long for Nick to give in.

"I don't want to lose you," he said in a voice so small, she had to strain her ears to hear what he said.

Sophie couldn't bring herself to look at him. She knew Nick was not the sort of man to lie about something like this. He wasn't even the sort of man to say something like this! Still, she knew that if he was going to be done with her at all, he would have done so on the boat.

"You won't," she replied.

He sighed, "I mean, I never want to lose you."

Sophie let out a dry laugh, hardly believing her ears. "What is this? Some kind of marriage proposal?"

Staying quiet for only a moment, he finally answered her rhetorical question with, "Only if you'll say yes."

She smiled. "Only if I don't have to swallow a pipe bomb."

He laughed. "Deal."

* * *

"Bridge, are you immune?"

Coach had finally gotten the radio to work and a military frequency was immediately picked up. The remaining four joined them on the sealed off bridge.

"We are NOT infected," Coach informed firmly.

The other line was quick to respond. "Negative Bridge, are you IMMUNE? Have you encountered the Infected?"

Sophie rolled her eyes at their enquiry. The rest of the gang had similar responses.

"Encountered? Boy, I am covered in zombie blood and puke and eyeballs and twenty other parts I don't even recognize. We are immune as SHIT!" Coach barked back.

"Affirmative Bridge, we'll have a helicopter waiting for you on the other side, over," the man replied.

The survivors shared a concerned look, but no one dared to speak their mind.

"Let's just get this over with," Cas mumbled.

Nick snickered. "So they can line us up against the wall and shoot us?"

"Hey man, no need ta be so neg'tive," Ellis chimed in defensively.

Truth is, the idea of the military taking them out was believable. In nine out of ten zombie movies, the military always found a way to cause even more problems. If it wasn't bombing the city (which they had already started), then it was shooting innocent civilians.

"Alright y'all, I'm gonna lower the bridge," Coach informed as he placed his hand on the lever. "We gonna stroll across that bridge, and the army's gonna take care of us."

He received a few nods in response. At least the man could motivate.

"Here we go!"

As soon as the bridge was level, they took off into a sprint down the left side of the platform. There were many cars and busses scattered around randomly, giving the group some form of cover. At the same time, it also created large, bothersome obstacles.

* * *

The group pushed through zombie after zombie, occasionally taking out a special infected or two. All was going well, until a hoarking gurgle sounded through all the noise and a pool of green acid landed between the survivors.

Rochelle and Coach quickly jumped forward away from the goo and the other four pulled back.

"Long necked bitch!" Coach shouted in aggravation.

The only way for the rest of the group to reassemble was for them to jump a few cars and meet a few meters ahead. When they were over the second car, a high pitched shriek filled their ears.

"Rochelle!"

Their jog turned into a sprint within a matter of seconds. As they turned a corner, only Coach was there to greet them; a grim look on his face.

"Where's Ro?" Ellis asked. He had been the only one who didn't catch on.

Coach looked away from the group. "Damn charger got her. Knocked her right off the bridge."

The confirmation of their friends death was like a stab through the heart. They were so close, yet they couldn't do anything to save her.

"Ro... I'mma miss you girl," Ellis whispered.

With that, the group continued forward, a new line of fresh zombies waiting for them. No one said anything, just ploughed through the growing number of infected. They would make it across for Rochelle—they all swore by it.

"Tank!" Sophie called out.

A car whizzed by their heads and hit a bus behind them. The five of them ran forward and split to each side, keeping heavy fire on the giant infected.

"Just go down already!" Coach exclaimed.

The tank kept at them, throwing steady rounds of cars and rubble at them, each throw barely missing its target. From up front, more commons came running at the group, causing the survivors to remove their fire from the tank.

Ellis glanced around the area at their situation. Sophie, Nick, and Coach were on the other side of the bridge in a tight formation as they cleared out the infected. Cas, on the other hand was—he froze, realizing he didn't know where she was.

"Cas! Where'd you g-"

His call was cut short as the girl's short scream filled his ears. He turned just in time to see the tank hurl a chunk of cement at her. It had missed, as did the others, but the broken bits hit its mark. Cas fell almost instantly, the horde now covering her.

"Shit!"

The boy cut through the infected, clearing a path to the fallen girl. He felt his heart race as he killed the last of the zombies and reached for Cas. It was only then that he realized how much damage the horde could do to a person.

"S'rry," he whispered as he lifted the girl over his shoulder.

He turned back to the others, noting the dead tank.

"How is she?" Sophie shouted over the gap.

Cas weakly gave her friend a thumbs up before Ellis piped in. "I'll have ta carry her."

After exchanging a nod, the group gathered and sprinted forward. There wasn't much of the bridge to get across, and the number of infected had decreased dramatically.

"Its about time!" Coach exclaimed as they neared the exit ramp.

Just a ways away, the helicopter sat waiting for them. This was it.

* * *

**FootNote: **Aww, poor Rochelle... at least she won't keep taking all the health packs . Anyone find that her ai does that? Anyways, reviews people! You know you want too.


	19. Six Minus One Plus Three

**Author's Note:** Well, this one raps up the campaigns. There's going to be one more after this then that's it :O Enjoy!

Disclaimer

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

Unfortunately Ellis and Nick are too.

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -19- Six Minus One Plus Three

* * *

Running as fast as they could, the group made a valiant effort in keeping the infected away from Ellis, who still had Cas swung over his shoulder. They passed her around when it came to jumping distances and soon they made it to the waiting helicopter.

Coach ushered everyone inside before jumping in himself, narrowly avoiding another cement block thrown by yet another tank. It took no time for Sophie to jump up and check on Cas, who seemed to be fine if not for the fact that she was unconscious.

The only sound that could be heard was the swinging blades of the helicopter. The conscious four sat back and looked at each other.

'We're alive!' they wanted to scream out. But their friend wasn't. Rochelle didn't make it to the helicopter with them.

Coach wiped the tears forming in his eyes—Ellis didn't even bother hiding his grief. Sophie placed her hands over her face, trying to hide hers.

A loud boom sounded as the bridge exploded behind them, indicating that they would be the last survivors to come from New Orleans. Not too long later the rescue vehicle landed, leaving the five looking out the exit and into a line of military officers.

"Sophie?" she heard her name called from behind her. When the blonde looked over she saw one person who she never thought she would see again.

"Lillian?" The girl in question was decked out in a pilots uniform, badges, pins, and medals already decorating the jacket.

"SOPHIE!" the friends ran at each other and collided in a hug, both hysterically laughing and looking at each other. Both were absolutely shocked to see the other in their current states.

"You," Lillian began, "You look like shit."

Sophie let out a barking laugh, looking down at herself. Indeed, she was covered in a plethora of unknown body parts and blood splatters and dirt, grime, and a whole lot of other stuff she didn't even want to think about.

The other four emerged from the vehicle; Cas still unconscious in Ellis' arms.

"Holy shit! Cas made it too! I knew you guys couldn't be dead! Who're your new friends?"

"Lillian, I'd like you to meet Coach, Nick, Ellis, and—" she stopped herself before she said Rochelle's name. "and I'm proud to tell you that Ellis here is Cas' boyfriend, and this delicious piece of man meat here is my new boy toy."

Nick looked nearly offended as she patted his arm. So much for his declaration of love back at the bridge.

At this point in time another officer approached them, clearing his throat for attention.

"Excuse me, folks. I understand it's been quite the journey you've been through, but we need to send you through some tests—just to be sure—before we set you up in the living quarters."

Coach was the first to accept the proposal, as the others seemed to want to argue. "We'll follow you."

* * *

Cas woke up to bright lights being shone down on her, and people with white masks looming over her. She screamed.

"Pipe down," her friend commanded. As soon as Cas looked over to see Sophie sitting unharmed on a gurney, she calmed considerably. She then looked at the medical technicians, "I told you she'd wake up soon." She looked back to Cas. "We're safe. The boys are in the other room being examined. They just wanna check for infection." She rolled her eyes, "as if we could have it."

Cas relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief. Their check-ups completed, they headed out to the waiting room where the three boys waited for them.

"CAS!" cried out Ellis. He shot out from his seat and enveloped her in the tightest hug she'd ever experienced. Nick stood and strode over to Sophie, giving her a much more gentle, yet no less wonderful hug. Coach stood, his arms folded over his chest.

"I just witnessed two of our generations finest couples get together. Ain't this one for the history books."

A younger officer came in and informed the group of their living quarters. "The military has been constructing a community for survivors. There are six of them situated across America. You'll be sharing a house; job opportunities will be provided for you, and after three months, the military will stop supporting your unit. All in all, you'll be one happy family living in suburbia." They were escorted to a nice looking two story house. "Welcome home."

A set of keys were handed to each of the members and the officer promptly left. They carefully stepped into the house, observing their new living space. It looked as though it were designed as a model home. Furniture and appliances were already set up. Sophie crept upstairs to find three good sized bedrooms and a bathroom.

"I call the master bedroom!" she called, snapping the others out of their trance.

"Wh-no way!" Cas cried back, chasing the other girl up the stairs. The other three shrugged and joined them. Cas scampered into the second largest bedroom, claiming it as her own. The boys looked at the last door.

"Nu-uh," said Coach, "you two have girlfriends to share a room with. Coach gets this last room." He walked over to the end of the hall way to investigate his new room. The other two nodded at each other before parting ways.

* * *

Nick peered into the master bedroom to find Sophie sprawled on the King sized bed, grinning like a fool. He couldn't help but to grin back, sauntering over to the bed and flopping down beside her. She looked over to him, smiling.

"So," she said conversationally, "I was thinking we could take my last name."

He laughed. "Sure, why not. It'll be easier to avoid my past record anyway."

"Oh, good. Now I'm helping out a felon. This will only end badly."

"I'm willing to risk it if you are."

"I wouldn't have de-fib'd your ass if I wasn't willing to risk a few things."

"Mmm. How did that conversation go again?"

"Hmm," she said, tapping her chin. "I recall there were a lot less clothes and we both felt satisfied at our conclusion."

He grinned, "are we gonna have to have that discussion again?"

"I think I'd like to talk it over. Yes."

* * *

Ellis lay beside Cas. She was still dizzy from being hit by a cinder block only hours before. The two cuddled together.

"We're out," Cas stated.

"Yep," Ellis agreed.

"And we're safe."

"Mmhmm."

"Then you need to fulfill your promise."

He grinned. "That I do, missy. And I promise yew, yew won't be disappointed."

* * *

Days later a letter came to them, notifying the five of all open job positions. Along with that letter, several other envelopes were filled with official documents. The five crowded around the kitchen table, looking at open job positions.

"Hey, Cas," Sophie said jovially, "there's a position open for tech nerds!"

Cas grumbled at the comment, but upon finding nothing better, accepted the position in computer technologies. Ellis fell easily into Auto Mechanic, and Coach found a spot open at the community school. Sophie chose to take a place as a medic and Nick finally accepted a spot in communications.

"You gon' get fired fast with your attitude, Nick," commented Coach. The rest agreed whole heartedly before moving onto the next envelope. Five legal documents came out, asking for official information based on name, age, marital status, and other personal information.

Nick and Sophie looked at each other, not having anyone else notice. Sophie nodded, confirming the conman's silent question. On his sheet he printed out 'Mr. Nicholas Delville.' On hers she printed 'Mrs. Sophia Delville.' Neither thought the rest would notice until Cas fell into peals of laughter seeing the printing.

"What?" she asked between giggles, "No wedding?"

The other two men leaned over to see what the commotion was about before laughing themselves.

"It's so they don't look up his record!" Sophie defended, blushing.

"Sure, sure. You keep tellin' yourself that, young'un." Coach wiped the gleeful tears from his eyes. "Ah, young love."

"Shut it," Nick grumbled, stuffing everyone's papers into the new envelope and ripping open the last one. A smirk fell onto his face, maturing into a full blown grin. He handed the paper off to Sophie, who scanned it before beaming at Cas.

"You and Ellis may feel the need to change your names too."

She handed the document to Cas.

* * *

**Foot Note: **Oh snaps. Three guesses for what's gonna happen XP And review people, you'll only have so much longer for this one .


	20. Settle for Less

**Author's Note:** Woo, last chapter! Thanks for stickin' around people and be sure to keep an eye out for a sequel! Chances are, it'll be out in the next few days :P

Disclaimer

Left 4 Dead is property of Valve.

Unfortunately Ellis and Nick are too.

* * *

It's Easier to Lure Zombies with Blood than Axes -20- Settle for Less

* * *

Cas read the document, her face instantly paling. Looking for a release, she punched the hick in the arm and fell back into her chair.

"I blame you Soph," she mumbled.

The blondes beam faltered into a slightly confused look. There was still a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. "Why me? I'm not the one with the sperm."

Cas let out an aggravated groan. "'Cuz everything can lead back to you."

Sophie pondered on the thought. "Well, yes. That's true, I suppose."

By this time, Coach had also seen the sheet, leaving Ellis the only one in the dark. He rubbed his arm and crouched in front of the flustered girl.

"Did I do somethin' wrong?" He asked uneasily. "If I did, I'm s'rry and I won't-"

Cas lifted her hand and placed a finger on his lips. "It wasn't just you."

Ellis tilted his head in confusion. It was like watching a cute little puppy—one that didn't know what one plus one was. Cas wanted to tell him—to see his reaction—but she couldn't push herself to actually say it. That would be admitting it to herself.

"This one time, by buddy Chels told me she was pregnant on April fools. Of course, I totally bought it," Cas informed.

Sophie groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Oh God. The two of them procreating. We're doomed."

Ellis glanced back and forth between the two girls, his mind finally clueing in. Within a matter of seconds, he had the girl in his arms and spun her around in excitement.

"Aw man! I get ta be a dad! I can't wait ta tell Keith!"

The four laughed at his enthusiasm, not even Cas had expected his response. He started asking questions, continuing even as there was a knock at the door. Sophie went to answer it.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is."

Everyone turned to the door, finding a boy and a girl accompanying Lillian. Cas immediately pushed away from Ellis and ran to the door, pulling the two into a hug.

"Missed you too," Chelsea chuckled.

Cas finally released them and took a step back, bumping into Ellis.

"Uhm, this is Ellis, my uh, boyfriend," Cas informed, then turned to the others. "That's Nick, Sophies boy toy, and that's Coach."

Ellis and Coach offered a wave and a nod, but Nick just shot daggers at the girl.

"Actually, we were just talking about you," Sophie told the two, "Cas told us about that April fools day prank."

Chelsea raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"N-no reason!" Cas paled. Ever since that April fools the two had an inside joke of sorts about who would have a kid first. Cas didn't want her to know she had won. At least for now.

Her friend's eyes moved between Sophie's smirk, Cas' panicked look, then at the hick behind her. It didn't take much for the bright girl to come up with a logical conclusion.

"Is an 'I told you so' in order?" She asked with a grin.

Cas winced, suddenly finding her feet more interesting. "Might as well get it over with."

Chelsea just shrugged and poked her friend's stomach. "Knew it would be with a pretty boy, though."

From behind, Nick snickered at the comment.

"'Least I'm not a 'boy toy'," Ellis shot back immaturely.

"Least I didn't knock someone up," Nick shrugged, using a full blown southern accent.

"Now that a'int funny, Nick."

"Oh?" The man replied, "It is for me."

Ellis felt an odd sensation in the pit of his stomach. It wasn't like he had planned to get Cas pregnant. Hell, no one would want that to happen during a zombie apocalypse, but now that all was said and done, there was no use dwelling on it; or insulting his girlfriend for that matter.

With a scowl, he marched up to Nick, his fists balled.

"Sorry Overalls, but I don't go for-"

Before he could finish, Ellis landed a solid punch across the conman's face, causing his to stumble backwards.

"Boy, what are'ya doin'?" Coach questioned as he moved towards the two.

Nick held his hand out, blocking him from assisting. His other hand was pulled back, then thrown at Ellis in the same manner. Before they could do much more than that, Coach and Brandon stepped in.

"Just let me teach the kid a lesson," Nick muttered angrily.

Coach shook his head, keeping a firm grip on the man. "There's no need for it."

In reality, there wasn't. They'd finally made it to safety and now they decided to take out their anger on each other. It didn't make sense.

"Come on, Ellis," Cas cooed as she placed a hand on his arm.

It took a moment, but his body relaxed and he turned to her with a frown. Nick did the same as he straightened his jacket.

For the time being, Cas disregarded her friends' presence and pulled Ellis away from the group and up to their room. Once there, she sat him down on the bed.

"S'rry," he mumbled.

"It's... okay," she replied, "though, you didn't have to hit him."

He immediately shot up as the words slipped from her mouth. "But he was-"

"It doesn't matter. Just ignore it," she suggested.

A pout formed on face. He couldn't help it if he felt that strongly about it.

With a sigh, Cas moved forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Just relax, 'kay?"

He nodded reluctantly and pulled the girl closer. It was evident where that would lead to.

* * *

The noises that came from the room upstairs made Sophie face-palm. They had _friends _over for crying out loud! She made sure Nick was seated and holding ice to his cheek where Ellis hit him.

"He got you good," she said, grinning.

"I thought you were on my side," he stated.

"I am," she agreed, "but in my house there will be no unnecessary fighting. Got it?"

"He started it!"

She blew a raspberry at him, "aren't you supposed to be the bigger man?"

The comment shut him up immediately. She turned to her lost friends, greeting each one in the appropriate manner.

"Stay for dinner?" she asked. Her gaze rose to the ceiling, "they'll be down for food eventually. And hey, at least she can't get pregnant again."

The three friends sniggered, following the blonde into the kitchen. Coach left the house to work on the tool shed he had been building. Nick, unknowing of what else to do, followed the group into the kitchen area.

As she danced around making dinner, the four caught up. Sophie was told of Andrew's unfortunate passing and Sophie told a very clipped version of what happened to her and Cas.

"Cool! I wanna see your feet!" Lillian exclaimed.

Showing off her disfigured feet seemed to excite the others, spurring on a more detailed account of the happenstance.

"Yes, yes," Sophie said, "that was when Nick first realized his love for me." She grinned at the man who was sporting a scowl. "He even jumped in front of a witch for me. Show them your scars, Nick."

"Do I have to?" he grumbled.

"Yes."

Sighing, he pulled his shirt open to show the scars that ran up and down his torso. Once again shock and awe spread through the group. Their adventure hadn't been this cool; the military picked them up right after the Andrew incident.

As Sophie was putting the meat on the grill Lillian leaned over and whispered in her friends ear, "You've got him whipped."

She grinned, "You have no idea."

* * *

After dinner was served and their guests had gone back to their complex, a sort of pondering silence lapsed over the family. Somehow they all drifted back into the kitchen—the seemingly most social room of the house.

Sophie washed and put away dishes, Coach tidied and straightened the table, and Nick, Ellis, and Cas were sitting at the island.

Cas seemed in deep thought before a small smile wiggled its way onto her face.

"So Soph," she said, catching the other girls attention. "What's the plan?"

Sophie couldn't hold back her grin caused by nostalgia. "Well Cas, I say we stick to the road. See what we find."

And the silence was lifted.

* * *

**Footnote:** Just sayin', I love that ending XD Soph's a clever author. Anywho, as I said, check back in the next few days for the sequel... AND I posted a pic on deviantart (links on my profile) of Ellis and Cas for this story. I'm currently in the process of making one for Soph and Nick.

Let us know what you guys think of the series! Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!


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